Sisters

Disgrifiad Cymraeg / Welsh Description

Stori bwerus am drais domestig, dewrder a maddeuant, gan awdures a gyrhaeddodd restr fer Wales Book of the Year gyda'i chyfrol The Memory . Mae damwain a chelwydd ofnadwy yn rhwygo teulu. Pan fo Angie yn beio ei chwaer iau Lisa am farwolaeth eu brawd, mae eu bywydau yn newid am byth...

Disgrifiad Saesneg / English Description

From the Wales Book of the Year shortlisted author of The Memory comes a powerful story of domestic violence, courage and forgiveness. An accident and a terrible lie tear a family apart. When sixteen-year-old Angie blames her younger sister Lisa for their brother's death, their lives change forever...

Dosbarthu

Byddwn yn dosbarthu eitemau sydd mewn stoc o fewn 3 diwrnod gwaith, fel arfer drwy Royal Mail Tracked 48. Ar gyfer archebion o flaen llaw, byddwn yn dosbarthu’r eitem o fewn 3 diwrnod gwaith ar ôl ei derbyn gan ein cyflenwr.

Dispatch

In-stock items will be dispatched within 3 business days, usually by Royal Mail Tracked 48. For pre-orders, we’ll dispatch within 3 business days of receiving the item from our supplier.

Bywgraffiad yr Awdur / Author Biography

Judith Barrow is joint founder of the Narberth Book Festival. Her other titles published by Honno include: A Hundred Tiny Threads, Pattern of Shadows, Changing Patterns, Living in the Shadows, The Memory, The Heart Stone.

Adolygiad y Cyhoeddwr / Publisher Review

The emotional pain caused by one terrible moment of misjudgement ricochets throughout this novel as we follow Mandy and her older sister Angie from teenagers to adults. The peaceful innocence of the opening paragraphs becomes a distant memory as a fateful accident blights the entire family, shattering connections and all but destroying their former love and care for each other. The novel mainly centres around Mandy, for whom the accident brings complete destruction of her trust and love for her sister, the loss of all her friends, a terrible notoriety, and vicious bullying; even her own father cannot bear to look at her. She has to escape this unbearable situation, and fortunately her aunt and uncle, secluded in rural Wales, can provide a haven. The unconditional love and acceptance they extend to her is the balm she needs to slowly heal – or at least to plaster over – the raw wounds inflicted on her emotional well-being. For Angie the accident has different and even worse consequences. Whilst she watches her younger sister going through hell, she writhes in her own terror and guilt. With every day that passes she sinks deeper into bitter self-hatred. Eventually she too leaves the family home. She’s just a teenager. She leaves without telling her already traumatised parents, and for the next few years they have to live with not knowing if she’s alive or dead. Angie’s self-hatred makes her a prime victim for a life of denigration and exploitation, and the underworld of Manchester sucks her in. The utter humiliation she experiences is only what she feels she deserves. This is a gripping read. Judith Barrow skilfully draws the reader into a close connection with thirteen-year-old Mandy from the very first chapter. She’s proud to be helping out her mum, being given responsibility, showing off a little, like we all did at that age, and when the tragedy strikes, she still clings on to a hope that her big protective sister will save her. We see the utter bewilderment evolving into complete disillusionment as Mandy tries to make sense of her sister’s reaction. Angie is not only not saving her younger sister, but is actually condemning her to life as a pariah. The chasm that opens up between the two sisters seems impossibly wide to bridge. Years must pass and more loss and emotional pain must be experienced before the sisters can even begin to reconcile. Barrow brings in a cascade of events which force the now adult sisters to revisit the trauma of the past. It’s only when they face an adversary more threatening and hateful than anything they have experienced from each other, that they can attempt to understand each other and perhaps find some forgiveness.