Sisters Torn

Description

298 pages
$18.95
ISBN 0-920576-92-3
DDC C813'.6

Publisher

Year

2001

Contributor

Reviewed by June M. Blurton

June M. Blurton is a retired speech/language pathologist.

Review

Sisters Torn is based on the real-life stories of the author’s mother
and aunt. As the novel opens, Simone and Catherine, are put in the care
of Children’s Homes. The two girls are separated when Simone is
whisked away to an orphanage and Catherine is subsequently adopted.
During World War II, Simone marries a man in the RCAF and moves to his
family’s dirt farm in Saskatchewan. (The description of her reaction
to a stormy prairie winter is priceless.) Catherine also marries but
remains in England. During all this time, they never stop missing and
trying to find one another. At first, the rules governing orphans and
adoptions make a reunion impossible; when the rules are changed, other
factors work against them.

This novel has an interesting plot. Unfortunately, it is undermined by
amateurish writing and dialogue that fails to capture either the rhythms
or the vocabulary of the characters.

Citation

Faryon, Cynthia J., “Sisters Torn,” Canadian Book Review Annual Online, accessed December 7, 2024, https://cbra.library.utoronto.ca/items/show/9424.