Blue Sisters, Coco Mellors
Blue Sisters was one of my (and bookstagram’s) most anticipated books of the year, which is a lot to live up to. Fortunately, it was also one of my favourite reads of the year.
It tells the story of three estranged sisters who, in the year since the loss of their fourth sister, have been divided by cities and lives that have fallen apart in both unexpected and interconnected ways. The story takes us from Paris to London to LA to New York and, within what is a very readable look into these locations, creates an extremely human fabric. The sisters, both as individuals and as part of a whole, are constructed so authentically that it’s difficult not to feel part of their lives – to feel that their wounds are ours and their hopes are shared.
There is a lot of dialogue in this book, which I often find to be a tricky element in a novel because any given declaration could easily feel too scripted or too unnecessarily embellished. Conversely, what I feel Coco Mellors does best in Blue Sisters is to create an ongoing and authentic dialogue between the sisters. Hurtful words are formulated in exactly the best ways to cut through to the bone, and the biggest moments are hidden in the smallest sentiments.
Much is written about romantic love that I feel it’s almost harder to pin down the feelings that our own blood can evoke in us. Blue Sisters is such a powerful exploration of exactly this, as well as a fascinating delve into the kind of girlhood I’ve never experienced, and a hauntingly beautiful portrayal of what siblinghood is at its core.
In honest portrayals of grief, addiction, and familial ties, Mellors manages to create a story that is both emotionally charged and light-hearted. Blue Sisters left me teary in the best way possible.
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