review: sisterland by curtis sittenfeld

Shortly after they were born it was apparent that identical twins Violet (Vi) and Daisy (Kate) had psychic powers. Initially Kate is willing to use her powers because a classmate befriends her for their use. When that classmate turns on her, Kate begins to distance herself from both her sister and their shared abilities—she even changes her name from Daisy to Kate when she leaves for college. As adults, the twins’ relationship is fairly contentious, but Kate still feels compelled to aid her sister when Vi makes a very public announcement that an big earthquake is coming.

I enjoyed how Curtis Sittenfeld wove in stories from the past to show how the twins came to their present relationship. Without those select pieces of information it would’ve been difficult to understand how a pair that had a sign reading “Sisterland” tacked to their shared bedroom door would wind up so far apart even while living in the same town. Sisterland is about more than the relationships between sisters though; it’s about families in general as Kate’s relationship with Vi causes difficulties in her marriage which leads to an “earthquake” all of its own.
4/5
Review copy from Amazon Vine.