Book review on Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors

hey there! so i recently read this highly recommended book- Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors. this article is about my views and thoughts on this book.

book synopsis_

“The three blue sisters are exceptional—and exceptionally different. Avery, the eldest and a recovering heroin addict turned strait-laced lawyer, lives with her wife in London; Bonnie, a former boxer, works as a bouncer in Los Angeles following a devastating defeat; and Lucky, the youngest, models in Paris while trying to outrun her hard-partying ways. They also had a fourth sister, Nicky, whose unexpected death left Avery, Bonnie, and Lucky reeling. A year later, as they each navigate grief, addiction, and ambition, they find they must return to New York to stop the sale of the apartment they were raised in.

But coming home is never as easy as it seems. As the sisters reckon with the disappointments of their childhood and the loss of the only person who held them together, they realize the greatest secrets they've been keeping might not have been from each other, but from themselves.”

the book starts with a crisp description of each sister and gives a overall feel of their current relationship. The first part of the prologue, in particular stuck with me because it provided a very controversial but fresh perspective on sisterhood-

 

“A sister is not a friend. Who can explain the urge to take a relationship as primal and complex as a sibling and reduce it to something as replaceable, as banal as a friend? Yet this status is used again and again to connote the highest intimacy. True sisterhood is not the same as friendship. You don't choose each other and there is no furtive period of getting to know each other. You are a part of each other, right from the start. Look at an umbilical cord—tough, sinuous, unlovely, yet essential—and compare it to a friendship bracelet of brightly woven thread. That is the difference between a sister and a friend.”
 

but before moving on, i have to clarify that I don't have a sister, i have a younger brother but no sister, thus i can only imagine what it must be like to have a sister in the experiences which i have with my brother.

 

The chapters in this book are in the perspectives of the three sisters–Avery, Bonnie and Lucky– (yes, I use em-dashes, doesn’t mean I’m AI), which gives us the chance to explore the life of each sister through their lens. however, I found the characterisation of the sisters a bit cliché (which I didn’t really mind much).

 

The writing was wonderful and poignant. The metaphors, Dialogues and even the descriptions of their surroundings were excellently done. It had been quite a while since I read something like this, so I was appreciative of the prose which had been used.

 

the book mainly revolves around battling addiction and strengthening bonds by accepting and forgiving each other, to let go of the past which has held you captive for a long time, and this has been shown through the frequent arguments between the sisters at the starting of the book. We see how the lives of each sister is barely held together by a thread after the passing of their beloved sister, Nicky.

 

Lucky–the youngest– was a model who had a crippling addiction to alcohol and drugs. This addiction stemmed from the need to numb the pain which she experienced after her sister’s death. She had a unique bond with Nicky, and cherished her dearly. Tbh, I was scared for her when I saw her perspective in the starting, but as the story progressed, she tried to confront her fears, guilts and addictions which also made my heart hurt (but in a “I’m so proud of you” way).

Bonnie– the second oldest– was a champion boxer, but after a crushing defeat on an international level boxing tournament, went on a year long hiatus. Which once again, stemmed from the grief of losing Nicky.

And then there is Avery–the oldest, the unofficial mother– who was now a lawyer and lived with her wife Chiti. Despite being the “ideal sister” she herself had a few shameful secrets which made her a bit more human. I personally, found her a bit hypocritical but at the same time –as an older sister– connected with her and her feelings. How she managed to overcome her narrow mindedness and showed willingness to understand her sisters–especially Lucky– made me SO proud.

As for Nicky, I actually found her hard to connect with. Her presence was undeniably felt but I couldn’t really imagine her. Her character fell flat for me. The kind and gentle sister who was born to be a mother but had endometriosis.

 

One other thing I found praiseworthy were the arguments. They looked inconsequential at first but the undertone of frustration and hurt was eerily accurate. These arguments were like a drop of ink in a glass of water, unnoticeable at first but they irrefutably change the colour of the water, with each added drop until the whole glass is black. What is needed here is a gentle conversation where each accepts and understands the other. It took Avery’s aggravated outburst– which was so unlike her, but was also graspable at the same time– that took the three to look at the bigger picture and allow to forgive each other and themselves.

 

If you are looking for a plot filled fiction book, this ISN’T for you. More than half of the events were practically summarised in the prologue only. But if you are looking for a good paced, delightfully written and emotionally charged book which has an open ended but peaceable conclusion, it might be the one for you.

 

Also, the epilogue was quite unexpected (not that I’m complaining), but I thought of Pavel as a 50-year-old middle aged dude or smth when I first started reading this. Anyway, I was glad that everyone managed to make up and was able to find happiness once again.

 

Sincerest thanks to everyone who read this

Danika

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