Sister - Rosamund Lupton

I took one book on vacation with me and Sister by Rosamund Lupton was it. Thank goodness I waited until I was on the train home to start it  - I would not have been able to put it down. What an absolutely addicting read.

Sister is told as a past tense narrative in letter form by Bess to her younger sister Tess. We learn early on that Tess is dead. Was it suicide? Everyone but Bee believes so.  The account follows Bee's attempts to make sense of what had happened to Tess. She was so full of life - she couldn't have possibly chose to end it.

"You painted abstract canvases, expressing large truths in bold splashes of vivid color while I was perfectly suited to my job in corporate design, matching every color in the world to a Pantone number. Lacking your ability with broad brushstrokes I will tell you this story in accurate dots of detail. I'm hoping that as in a pointillistic painting, the dots will form a picture and when it is completed, we will understand what happened and why."

Lupton deliciously and slowly inserts details into every chapter, gradually filling us in on what has already happened. We learn that Bee is being interviewed by a lawyer and her statement recorded.  What did Bee discover? What happened to Tess? What is happening to Bee? As the interviews continue over the course of several days, her health seems to be failing.

Sister is a fantastic mystery, but also a beautiful retrospective of the love between the two sisters. Lupton's prose are thoughtful, evoking emotion easily.

There were numerous suspects possible, but I am thrilled to say that I never saw the ending coming. Planning to read this one? DO NOT read the end first. But you can get a head start and read the beginning of Sister.

 Best. Twist. Ending. Ever.

This was a debut for Lupton - I  will be hunting down her second book for sure. You can find Rosamund on Twitter and on Facebook.