#bookreview #MySister ~ Michelle Adams @MAdamswriter

‘Family has the power to harm us the most’

My Sister is a novel by Michelle Adams, just published by Headline on April 20th.

Described as a psychological thriller and with a fabulous cast of characters, here is a book that will grab you and pull you right into it’s pages.

I was thrilled to receive a copy from Millie Seaward of Headline and am delighted to bring you my fair, unbiased and honest review of this wonderful new release.

Please read on for my full thoughts…

You don’t get to choose your family

My Sister tells the story of Irini Haringford, who was given away by her parents at the age of three, whilst her volatile, destructive sister was kept within the family.

Twenty years later Irini receives a phone call from her estranged sister to say that their mother has died, compelling her to return for the first time to the family home, and to uncover once and for all the shocking truth that has defined both their lives…

Two sisters
One given away by their parents as a child, one who was kept
The fall-out when the truth about their childhood is finally revealed…

All her life, Irini thought she was given away because her family didn’t want her.

What if the truth is something worse?

Two sisters. Two separate lives.

One family bound by a harrowing secret.

‘My name is Irini. I was given away.

My name is Elle. I was kept’

I am somewhat in awe of Michelle Adams that My Sister is her debut psychological thriller. I read My Sister during the past week and was beyond frustrated when I struggled to get the time to hide away and devour each page.

My Sister, as the name suggests, tells the story of two sisters, Elle and Irini. Estranged from birth. Elle remained with their parents and Irini grew up in the household of relatives. Years have gone by with no communication, when Irini receives a call from Elle. Their mother is dead.

One often uses the expression ‘opening a can of worms’ to describe an event that proceeds to get worse on closer inspection, and in My Sister this saying is taken to a whole new level.

The relationship between Elle and Irini would be best described as toxic. Irini growing up always held Elle on a pedestal, albeit a very shaky one. Over the years their paths crossed but after each reunion, Irini was left feeling bereft and struggled to move on with her life.

Elle is a character depicted with such clarity by Michelle Adams. Her frightening and psychotic tendencies reveal a very unstable personality. Her constant need for acceptance, her ups and downs are all so vividly portrayed.

When Irini arrives home for her mother’s funeral, she finds herself trapped. Unable to leave until she discovers the truth of her past yet unable to stay for fear for her safety, it’s not long before Irini finds herself caught up in a web of lies and deceit.

The plot of My Sister is what I believe to be a true psychological thriller. There were so many different directions taken across the story that I was clueless how the book would come to a close. Yes there are OMG twists but My Sister is much more than that.

We see how decisions made earlier in a life can have such an impact on the future of an individual. We get a close look at how a relationship that is so poisonous can be so addictive and we also get to see the strength of the bond between sisters.

It’s obvious that Elle is not right. Her irrational behaviour toward those closest to her and to strangers shows an unhinged personality. Her violent tendencies are in sharp contrast to her beauty.

Irini, on the other hand, carries a disability. Although a successful doctor, she is filled with self-doubt and has an almost self-destructive side to her personality. Never knowing the truth behind her parents decision to give her away, Irini has issues of trust with others and constantly struggles to feel accepted by society.

Elle, though clearly damaged, is the one person who can get into Irini’s head and it is this blood bond that drives the story forward to it’s outstanding conclusion.

I deliberately am avoiding going into any great detail in this review because to expose any part of this story would be just wrong.

There are multiple layers as tragedies are uncovered and a past exposed. Michelle Adams explores the depths of a mother’s love, of a father’s strength and weaknesses and of sisters destined to carry the cross handed to them from a young age. The chain-reaction of earlier decisions is felt through-out the book, as you turn each page in anticipation of a what will happen next.

Michelle Adams has written a wonderfully gripping and disconcerting novel about relationships in a very dysfunctional family. My Sister is described as an electrifying psychological thriller and it is…..

Purchase Link ~ My Sister

Author Bio (in her own words)

Hi, I’m Michelle Adams, the author of MY SISTER, my debut psychological thriller.

I was born in the UK but now live in Cyprus, where I spend most of my time writing, reading, and training for a marathon. 

You can read more about me HERE

Twitter @MAdamswriter