According to Merriam Webster, a sister is, first and foremost, a female who has one or both parents in common with another. Later in the lists of possible definitions Merriam also says that a sister could be a girl or woman regarded as a comrade. Curious, I then wondered what Merriam would say about a comrade. Turns out a comrade is an intimate friend or associate, see companion. So I did. Merriam informed me that a companion is one that accompanies another. Now I realize that for each and every word there are multiple definitions available and for these words I did read through the lists of possible definitions. But none of them embodied the definition of a sister more than Elisabeth Robinson's book 'The True and Outstanding Adventures of the Hunt Sisters." The love hate relationship that surrounds all sisters. Whether you are yearning to be like your sister or struggling to be your own person, you have a deep rooted relationship with this person. A relationship so rooted that if something devastating were to happen to them, you would forget about everything and give up everything to be by there side.
In this wonderful, easy to read novel, Robinson takes you on an adventure many sisters hope to never have to see. Written as a series of letters from the perspective of the older sister (starting the year of her sister's birth and then picking up 20 years later) the novel chronicles their lives as Maddie fights a fight of all fights, leukemia. It is a peak in on their relationship, reading Olivia's private thoughts as she pours them out onto paper in letters to her sister, mother, father, business partners, best friend, ex-boyfriend and lover.
**** I am going to give this book 4 stars. Kind of a high rating for a pretty simple novel and one that only took me a few days to read. I chose 4 stars for a couple reasons. First, I think the way the author chose to write the book, as a series of letters, really allowed you to get inside the relationships in the story. This is HUGE in a book that really is about one of the most magnificent of relationships that can exist. For those that are sisters it was like a reality check and for those of you that aren't it is a clear glass window into what it is like. Second, as a sister myself, it was wonderful to put a literary picture to a relationship that is so hard to put into words. If you are a sister, pick up this book and get ready for the possibility of an overload of emotions. This is a great book to remind you how important it is to remind your sister you love her. Kristin, I love you!
