The Prodigal sister by Laura Elliot revolves around Cathy Lambert and her sisters. When Cathy was eight years old (1985) her parents were killed in a car accident and her sister, Lauren, was injured (they are living in Dublin at the time). Rebecca, age seventeen, became responsible for the three younger sisters. She had to give up going to college to become a veterinarian. Cathy handled the loss of her parents by writing them letters. She would tell them what was happening in her life. Lauren felt guilty that her parents were killed (they were out that night to go to the last night of her concert) and cuts herself. Julie enjoyed music and was in a band. She wanted to go out on tour, but she ended up getting pregnant and marrying young. Rebecca handled everything but was very strict (mostly with Cathy) and you could tell that she resented having to be the one in charge. Cathy tried to be very good but Rebecca did not like her choice of friends. Cathy became friends with Mel who was three years older and into Goth. Soon Cathy was dressing Goth as well.

Rebecca fell in love and married when Cathy was about fourteen or fifteen. When Cathy was fifteen, Rebecca went to help Lauren. When Rebecca returned home, Cathy had taken off. Cathy wanted a chance for her sister to be happy. Fifteen years later Cathy contacts her family again. Cathy is getting married and would like all of them to come to New Zealand. She also wants them to meet her son, Conor. Rebecca, Julie, and Lauren embark on a little sightseeing trip before heading to Havenswalk. Havenswalk is the retreat Cathy owns with her business partner, Alma Gowan. The trip is a time for reflection for all three sisters. They reflect on the past, present, and what they want in the future. Rebecca finally gets to find out why Cathy left home fifteen years previously. But does she really want to know? Cathy is finally going to have to face her family. Something she has avoided for fifteen years.

The Prodigal Sister is an interesting novel. I give The Prodigal Sister 3.5 out of 5 stars. Please note that this is a British novel so some words will be spelled differently and items will have different names (you will be able to understand from the context). There is also mild violence, sexual references (and scenes), and the mention of cutting.

I received a complimentary copy of The Prodigal Sister from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The review and opinions expressed are my own. ( )

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley.

The Lambert sisters, Rebecca, Julie, Lauren and Cathy lose their parents in a car accident (in which Lauren is also badly injured) when Rebecca is 17 and Cathy is just eight. Rebecca keeps the family together. Julie gets pregnant and marries her long-term boyfriend, Paul. Rebecca marries Jeremy, who had ditched her when the crisis struck, but returns and apologizes. Lauren goes to London and becomes a poet. Cathy runs away when she is 15 and does not contact her sisters again in any meaningful way for another 15 years. At the beginning of the novel she has invited them all to New Zealand, to her wedding and to meet her 15 year old son.

The story is told in different time frames and by different methods. We learn about the girls' past through letters Cathy was encouraged to write to her mother in heaven and through Rebecca's journal from that period. The present day sections are told from many different perspectives, including that of Cathy's son, Conor. I found the gradual revelation of what went on in Cathy's child and adolescence well done. The descriptions of the effect the bereavement had on each of the sisters were realistic and very sad. The author was able to make us sympathize with Rebecca (who sacrificed almost everything for her sisters) while at the same time condemning her for the mistakes she made along the way.

The present-day sections worked less well for me. Lauren and Julie were fairly consistently drawn, but Rebecca behaved oddly. Without giving away too much of the plot, I failed to understand why she didn't want to confront Cathy about exactly what had gone on when they met at last. With the benefit of all she had learned about her husband and the fact that Cathy was a child for whom she was responsible, I found her total lack of sympathy disturbing. She then proceeded to run away herself with Tim and refused to explain to the poor man exactly what was going on.

On the other hand, Cathy's character barely seemed to exist in the present day sections. What on earth were she and Kevin thinking? What did she really feel for Kevin? What did she expect poor Rebecca to do? Would she have told the truth if it had not become apparent? I liked the endings for Lauren and Julie, but for the other characters the conclusion seemed rushed and the emotions undeveloped. ( )