Select language, opens an overlay

Comment

Melbergo
Oct 08, 2011
The Murder’s Daughters by Randy Susan Meyers Having just finished The Good Wife, a fascinating story that details life for a woman waiting for her husband to be released from jail, I was surprised to find my random audio selection was again about a crime and incarceration, but this time from the children’s point of view. LuLu and Merry are sisters growing up in an unstable home where violence trembles as the self obsessed mother attempts to separate the father from the family. When LuLu disobeys the standing rule about opening the front door to her father, the nightmare begins. Within a few pages, the mother is dead, Merry is stabbed and the father has attempted suicide. Tragedy continues as these parentless girls are shunned by their mother’s family and raised by an elderly relative of their father until finally they find themselves wards of the state. In their own time, these girls grow to be strong independent woman and their individual and joint narratives are compelling. The story’s telling alternates between the two sisters. LuLu, is ten when the book begins. Just four years older than her sister, she seems to adopt a parental role in the family and this of course has an impact on all she does and says for the next thirty years. Merry, always her father’s favorite is about six at the time of the murder. She remains confused and compassionate throughout the book. The author allows the characters to grow and then stagnate at a believable pace. I found myself thinking about them long after the book ended. Even though the subject matter seems to be violent, I can truly say that I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to anyone interested in watching two courageous young women learn how to survive the aftermath of tragedy. Jenna