READ THIS: SISTERLAND: A Novel By Curtis Sittenfeld Our Coverage Sponsored by Stribling and Associates
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"Sisterland; Population 2; Do NOT Enter Without Permission." Thus read the sign that hung on the door or the room Violet and Daisy Schramm shared as children, which hung on the door from the time they were in fourth grade until many years later. And, indeed, anyone who has a sister can relate to the exclusivity of a sisterly relationship - the inside jokes, the made-up words, the whispered confidences, etc. But Violet and Daisy share more than most sisters. Not are are they identical twins, but they also share "senses" - or ESP, as some would refer to it. Sisterland, by Curtis Sittenfeld, explores the relationship of the sisters Schramm, and all that ensues from it. From an early age, Violet ("Vi") is completely at ease with her extra-sensory gifts, and wants to explore them to their fullest, while Daisy makes a conscious decision to abandon them and live a "normal" life. The different paths they choose in life, and how they elect to utilize their gifts lay the groundwork for where we enter the story: with both sisters back in their hometown of St. Louis, a minor earthquake occurs. Violet senses that another, much larger quake is on the way, and ends up being invited to share her prediction on national television. Daisy, or "Kate," as she calls herself these days, is mortified by Vi's antics, but she's even more disturbed by the fact that, deep down, she agrees with Vi's prediction and that the "senses" she's long strived to bury may prove too strong for her to fight against any longer. Thought-provoking, funny, insightful, and, at times, unsettling, Sisterland is an exciting and engaging novel, and highly recommended by this panelist!
Maybe St. Louis is considered the Midwest, or perhaps it's in a land far far away all by itself. Certainly for the sisters of "Sisterland", by Curtis Sittenfeld, it's a town where they live out their oddly functional dysfunction, in full bloom. The are sensitives, and twins, with ESP, or whatever you'd like to call it, but on an oddly normal scale. Not overpowered, but rather guided by their ability to perceive life around them in a way different than most of the world, Katie ( Daisy) and Violet rumble through their suburban childhood , adolescence and adulthood in full view of each other. They commiserate without communicating, in a withdrawn way. Isolation by choice, as it were, with each sister being so different than the other that the embryo that started it all may well have been conceived on a dare. It's Katie who tells us the tale of their life until now, overshadowed by her sister's prediction of an impending seismic disaster, that seems to color their worlds in brash, intense tones. Their lives find direction, no matter what comes their way, and life itself seems to balance itself in spite of itself. There's a disconnect that paints each character, and leaves us feeling their pathos and pain for them. Ms. Sittenfeld takes an American family and dissects it on a level that is so not "Meet Me in St. Louis", but more modern, contemporary in feel, with common ground for all of us to identify with interwoven as the one golden thread that catches the light.
"Sisterland" is the first novel I have read by author Curtis Sittenfeld. It will not, however, be the last. This is one of those novels where you pick it up intending to read for just a few minutes and an hour later, you are totally engrossed. I haven't stayed up this late at night reading a book (or at all, for that matter) in a very long time! "Sisterland" is the tale of twin sisters, Violet and Kate. From the time they were young girls, Violet and Kate knew they were different; they had psychic abilities. Aside from that similarity though, they were about as different as identical twins could be. While Kate embraces normalcy, shying away from her psychic senses, Violet puts her abilities front and center...even going so far as to call a local news station to predict an earthquake! This novel delves into relationships, friendships, parenting and everyday life occurrences. Narrated by Kate, the novel flashes back to the past and is neatly interwoven with the present. "Sisterland" is complex, touching, thought-provoking and would make an awesome summer read! I am looking forward to reading more Curtis Sittenfeld in the very near future!
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With over 1.6 million books in print, translations published in 25 languages, two nominations for the Orange Prize and loads of praise under her belt, the New York Times bestselling author of Prep, American Wife, and The Man of My Dreams, has written yet another novel that is not to be missed. In the tradition of Curtis Sittenfeld’s past beloved novels, SISTERLAND (Random House Hardcover & eBook/ On Sale: June 25, 2013) exhibits what a “rigorous and wily stylist” (New York Times Book Review) she is and proves that her “astonishing gift for creating characters that take up residence in readers’ heads” (Washington Post) remains ever intact. SISTERLAND tells the story of twin sisters, Kate and Violet, and the delicate balance of their innate psychic abilities concerning future events and other people’s secrets with the sisters’ relationship to each other.
The twins discover their gift at an early age and beginning in middle-school, Violet embraces her senses and Kate eschews them in search of a more ordinary life. When we meet the sisters, different paths have brought them back to their hometown of St. Louis. In their thirties, Kate is a devoted wife and mother living in the suburbs raising her two young children and Vi has become a psychic medium. In the wake of Violet’s upsetting public prediction of a natural disaster in their hometown, Kate is forced to confront the truth about her senses that she has long tried to deny. In doing so, she has to evaluate her fraught relationship with her sister, both their stark differences and their unavoidable similarities, and determine whether it can be saved—or is even worth saving. Funny, haunting, and written with deep empathy and wisdom, SISTERLAND is a novel about the obligation we have towards others and the responsibility we take for our own actions.
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About the Author:
CURTIS SITTENFELD is the bestselling author of the novels Prep, The Man of My Dreams, and American Wife, which have been translated into twenty-five languages. Her nonfiction has been published by The New York Times, The Atlantic, Salon, Allure, and Glamour, and broadcast on public radio’s This American Life. She graduated from Stanford and the Iowa Writers’ Workshop.
SISTERLAND: A Novel
By Curtis Sittenfeld ● Random House Hardcover & EBook ● On Sale June 25, 2013
ISBN: 9781400068319 ● eBook ISBN: 9780812994407 ● http://www.curtissittenfeld.com
Catch Curtis on tour for SISTERLAND in the following cities:
St. Louis, MO
Left Bank Books – Talk, Q&A, Signing – Monday, June 24, 7:00 PM
Washington, D.C.
Politics & Prose – Talk, Q&A, Signing – Tuesday, June 25, 7:00 PM
New York, NY
Barnes & Noble Upper West Side – Talk, Q&A, Signing – Wednesday, June 26, 7:00 PM
The Carlyle “In Conversation” Series – Talk, Q&A, Signing – Thursday, June 27, 12:30 PM
Atlanta, GA
Georgia Center for the Book – Talk, Q&A, Signing – Monday, July 1, 7:15 PM
Wichita, KS
Watermark Books & Café – Talk, Q&A, Signing – Monday, July 8, 7:00 PM
Kansas City, KS
Rainy Day Books – Talk, Q&A, Signing – Tuesday, July 9, 7:00 PM
Chicago, IL
Anderson’s Bookshop – Talk, Q&A, Signing – Thursday, July 11, 7:00 PM
Cincinnati, OH
Joseph Beth – Talk, Q&A, Signing – Monday, July 15, 7:00 PM
Portland, OR
Powell’s Cedar Hill Crossing – Talk, Q&A, Signing – Wednesday, July 17, 7:00 PM
San Francisco, CA
Book Passage – Luncheon, Talk, Signing – Thursday, July 18, 12:00 PM
Iowa City, IA
Iowa City Book Festival with book sales by Prairie Lights – Event with Susanna Daniel – October 11-13
