The Good Sister by Drusilla Campbell
Summary: Roxanne Callahan has always been her younger sister’s caretaker. Now married, her happiness is threatened when beautiful and emotionally unstable Simone, suffering from crippling postpartum depression, commits an unforgivable crime for which Roxanne comes to believe she is partially responsible. In the glare of national media attention brought on her sister, Roxanne fights to hold her marriage together as she is drawn back into the pain of her troubled past and relives the fraught relationship she and Simone shared with their narcissistic mother. At the same time, only she can help Simone’s nine year old daughter, Merell, make sense of the family’s tragedy. Cathartic, lyrical, and unflinchingly honest, The Good Sister is a novel of four generations of women struggling to overcome a legacy of violence, lies and secrecy, ultimately finding strength and courage in their love for each other.
My Thoughts: This is a very powerful story, and it’s written very well. I’ve been mulling this over in my head since I finished it last night. It’s a tough review for me to write, because it sits kinda close to home. I say kinda because I suffered postpartum depression, but not nearly to the degree that Simone does. But, I got help pretty quickly, when my child was 6 weeks old. Simone got no help for the depression, and was nearly constantly pregnant. But, my depression got to a scary dark place, so I can empathize – to a degree.
The characters are amazing. Thoroughly developed and quite engaging. I appreciated getting various points of view – on both the present and the past– throughout the book. I think the glimpses into Simone’s psyche were quite well done. I could feel for her, but again that might be in part because I could relate to her struggles.
I was not as satisfied by the ending as I could have been. Most loose ends were tied up, but not all. I want to know what happened with Johnny after the trial. I want to know more details about what happens with the girls, especially Claire, after the trial. I know the focus of the book was more on Roxanne than on Simone’s family, but it would have been nice to have quick mention of them, like there was quick mention of Roxanne’s family.
In short, this book is very raw, especially for anyone with any experience with postpartum depression – whether as a sufferer or an observer. But, it’s an excellent read. I would definitely recommend this book.
Favorite Quotes: I don’t always do this, but there were a few I want to share.
Conversations were like rooms, she realized. She had opened the door but it was up to him to walk through, and when he wouldn’t she felt as insulted as if he’d looked in, seen nothing of interest or importance, and walked away. ~ page 77 (ARC)
Seeing her mother intoxicated brought Roxanne a flood of emotions so old they were barely more than shadows cast by the memory of shadows.
~ page 174 (ARC)
Postpartum depression is like standing on a window ledge over a black hole, frozen in place, unable to do anything but look down into the swirling darkness. In the pit, every mother sees something different.
~ pages 330-331 (ARC)
This last one is from the Note From the Author at the end of the book. Apparently Campbell’s mother had PPD, which helps explain how she was able to so well craft this story.
My Rating: 4.5 stars
Source: Received through Crazy Book Tours for review.
Read It: You can get your own copy HERE.
Challenges: Counts for 100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2011.
FTC Disclosure: All items reviewed were either obtained by me for my own enjoyment or sent (from the author, publisher, publicist, via tour sites, etc.) in exchange for an honest review. I receive no monetary compensation for my posts. All opinions expressed are my own.
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