Allie Marshall was in jail for 10 years for a crime she did not commit. Her incarceration broke off her engagement to Ben, strained her relationship with her parents, and separated her from daughter Caroline. Only her sister, Emma, managed to stay contact by visiting her every month.
Allie got paroled and was released back to normal life — outside the world of steel bars and barbed wires — six years earlier than what she was sentenced to serve for manslaughter.
In Sister Dear, author Laura McNeil explored Allie’s quest to prove her innocence and regain her daughter’s love.
Sister Dear is an agonizing novel to read. It is painful to read about a character so unfairly and unjustly treated; it also shows how unforgiving society can be to people who have committed mistakes. People have selective amnesia: they remember the wrongdoings committed and forget about the good ones.
Allie, the good-natured Allie, remained calm and serene in the midst of this storm. You can feel the pain but nowhere in the novel — at least in my reading — have I felt anger. She is neither upbeat nor hopeless. She stands in this platform of balance; she knows what needs to be done and is focused on getting it done.
I had very low expectation of this novel. I just wanted to finish reading this so I can write the review. But I was surprised of the fluidity of McNeil’s work and how she expertly wrote the story from the perspectives of different characters. I was hooked before page 50.
Redemption was bittersweet but redemption is what Allie deserved. I’m so close to revealing the ending as I am writing this paragraph. Believe me when I say that I’m summoning all my strength and self-discipline to avoid revealing too much. But… okay, okay… by the time you reach the epilogue, you just want to give Allie a long, tight embrace and cry with her.
There… I said it.
It took me all in all 18 hours to finish this book, only pausing to change my children’s diapers or when I gave them their baths. The most glorious moment of my reading Sister Dear was between midnight to 3:00 a.m. while I was doing my laundry as the noise emanating from the busy workings of the washer and dryer added to the thrill, drama, and suspense of this story.
It’s brilliant that McNeil wrote this story from the perspectives of the story’s characters because it made me, the reader, see the event — that big night that changed Allie’s life forever — from different angles. There are several sides to a story, as they say. Arranging this novel that way is an exercise on critical and creative thinking. As a reader, it made me ask a lot of questions including How would I respond to people who treat me so badly?
The theme of sibling rivalry is explored in this story. Although indirectly, it gives parents some tips on how to raise children. It’s scary, in a way, because as a parent, you do your best to raise your children but you’re not an omnipotent, omnipresent being who knows everything so there’s a lot of check and balance and observations and playing events by the ear.
Laura McNeil is a revelation. Her manner of storytelling is gripping, surprising, and inspiring — all in the same breath. Sister Dear should not be missed. Put it in your summer reading list.
***
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a signed copy of this book from the Litfuse Publicity Group and Thomas Nelson for the purpose of this review. I was not required to write positive reviews. Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”.
