The Shadow Sister by Lily Meade (2023)
First let me add to the consensus that "The Shadow Sister" grabs you right away with one of the most beautiful, perfectly realized covers I've seen this year.
And the book itself, a debut novel for author Lily Meade, made for a compelling, suspenseful and most urgently current read......particularly in its weaving in of black history and systemic racism.
In a biracial family of a black father and white mother, teen sisters Sutton and Casey's relationship has devolved into a toxic battleground. Casey's come to deeply resent what she feels is the family's favored treatment of her older sister, thought of as the perfect 'golden girl'.
Sutton disappears, touching off a wide but futile community search orchestrated by her desperate parents. (She's not the first black teen girl to missing.) But unlike the other missing girls she re-appears as mysteriously as she vanished. And Casey notices not only Sutton's memory of what happened to her is gone, but also her previously combative, self-centered personality.....as if her sister's been permanently altered (and somehow more humanized) by her unknown experience......
Lily Meade's expert, intuitive creation of the lifelong love-hate bond between these siblings held me in a tight grip from beginning to end. And the book's ability to blend in the growing suspense and chills of a thriller along with the heartrending legacy of the family's black ancestors left me even more impressed.
But while I was well on my way to a 5 star review, the final climactic chapter, top heavy with sudden, startling, jaw dropping reveals, became problematic on multiple levels. It came across to me like a very rushed, Hail Mary pass with an abrupt closeout guaranteed to leave a reader hungry for an epilogue. That climax packs a punch alright, swerving the book into a jarring, hairpin turn.......and hurled it into a completely different genre altogether. I guess you either go with it fully or just mutter, "Say what now?"
I cannot forget or deny, however, the brilliant use of character development and skillful writing that brings the story of these two sisters and their family to such vivid, relatable life. And combining this with all the tropes of an ominous thriller stands as quite an achievement. Even with its much worthy of discussion finish, it still came out as a 4 star (****) page-turner for me.....and a fine introduction to a new author I'm eager to try again.
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