In Jillian Cantor’s first novel, The September Sisters, we watch a family fall apart. One summer night, 11 year old Becky goes missing from her suburban home. Left behind are her parents and 13 year old sister, Abby, the narrator of this aching story. The mother retreats into depression, the father focuses on finding Becky and maintaining normalcy, and Abby is left adrift in her confusion and loss. The majority of the story focuses on the year following the kidnapping as the family unravels as each person tries to deal with (or escape from ) the horrible pain and anguish caused by Becky’s disappearance.
Abby’s emotions and observations of others are unbearably visceral at times. There’s a slow, timeless pace to the days as they pass with no information and no hope in recovering the lost sister. In their effort to protect and shield Abby, her parents both neglect her and underestimate her ability to understand what’s happening around her. This character is forced to grow up quickly in some areas, and left as a forlorn child in others. I felt that Cantor’s development of Abby was well rounded, caring, and full of empathy; the other characters are given less care but in a way, that helps with the feeling of isolation that surrounds Abby throughout the book. I often felt I was seeing everything unfold through a murky fog, with sharp glimpses of emotion breaking through at just the right moments.
- Posted by Cori