Genre: Family Drama

Pages: 352

First published: 2024

Original language: English

The plot: Three sisters, devastated after the death of their much-loved fourth sister, return home to New York to stop the sale of their childhood home.

They are each exceptionally different. Avery is a lawyer, response and straight-laced, living in London with her wife. Bonnie was once a boxer, but now works as a bouncer in LA. Lucky is a model living the beautiful life in Paris, but with a drug and alcohol habit that threatens to destroy her.

Together they navigate identity, addiction and heartbreak as they heal old wounds and come to terms with the past.

What did I think of this book?

I was hesitant to read this book if I’m honest. I had my misgivings about the acclaim surrounding Coco Mellors, and the hype that preceded her first novel, Cleopatra and Frakenstein. I’d heard so many conflicting reviews of that book – and if you’re guilty of heading down the Goodreads rabbit hole (which I try not to be, but do occasionally), you will know this – that I’d convinced myself I might be wasting my time.

But I was happily proved very wrong in this instance.

The plot I’ve described above is less about what happens, than watching three very different women confront the ways they have been avoiding what has happened to them.

Mellors is very good at writing sisters. If you have a sister (as I do) you will relate to this book: the private jokes, petty arguments, old grudges and instinctive loyalty all feel convincing and very real. One moment Avery, Bonnie and Lucky are tearing strips off each other, arguing furiously ; the next, they are fiercely protective of each other.

This messy contradiction is probably Blue Sisters greatest strength.

The prose is gorgeous and emotionally sharp, followed by passages where the same point is explained, re-explained, and then explained again metaphorically for good measure. Several reviewers have noted this, being particularly critical of the novel’s length and tendency towards over-explanation.

And there is a LOT of suffering. Addiction, grief, dysfunctional parenting, self destruction, chronic pain – that’s a lot to throw into the mix. I felt a lot while reading this book. It was less like watching characters make bad decisions and more like watching Mellors systematically dismantle their lives, so that they can eventually rebuild them.

Still, I found myself caring about these sisters. I rooted for them, wanted them to be ok, just as I would my own sister. Even when they annoyed me, I wanted to know what happened next, wanted them to find a resolution. That’s not nothing.

What was most interesting about this book?

For me, it was the idea that grief doesn’t necessarily always bring people together. In some instances, it can drive them further apart.

Each sister processes Nicky’s death differently, and their individual coping mechanisms reveal something about who they are. Avery tries to retain control – of her career, of her marriage. Bonnie struggles with the loss of her identity and purpose (not to mention her unrequited feelings for her former trainer, Pavel), and Lucky escapes into excess. Their grief becomes tangled up with their existing problems, rather than replacing them.

What’s also interesting is how Nicky remains central whilst also being absent. We don’t get to meet her directly via flashbacks; instead, she exists via her sister’s memories of her. That makes her feel less like a conventional character and more like the emotional center of the family – someone each sister remembers slightly differently.

Most importantly, Blue Sisters understands that loving someone doesn’t necessarily means liking them too. That feels refreshingly honest.

What am I going to take away from this book?

We are all damaged, in our own ways. Many of us are grieving. For most of us, we don’t simply “move on” from grief. We just carry it differently. It is ever present, sometimes quiet, and sometimes it hits us like a truck. It is how we process that grief that matters.

This book made me think about how much of adulthood is made up of trying to escape the person you were when you were young. And how difficult it can be to work out which parts of that person are worth keeping.

And, perhaps most importantly, that family and sisterhood can be simultaneously fulfilling, infuriating, exhausting, hilarious, and completely irreplaceable.

Will I enjoy this book?

Blue Sisters is a character driven novel about complicated family dynamics, messy women and emotional damage, so if you like that type of novel, you will almost certainly enjoy this one.

If you prefer tightly plotted fiction, subtle prose and characters who make sensible decisions, perhaps approach this one with caution.

It’s emotional, stylish (not a surprise given that it’s author was a fashion copywriter), and the messy relationships can be a lot.

But underneath all that is a genuinely affecting story about sisterhood – that strange, ferocious bond between people who know exactly how to get under your skin because they’ve known you almost your whole life.

Yes, its flawed, a tad overstuffed, and a bit melodramatic in places, but ultimately this is a warm-hearted novel that will be difficult to forget.

Rating: 3/5