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An emotional look at the complexities of sisterhood, mental illness, and the struggle to understand one’s role in supporting a damaged loved one.

Amy Claire Shred is the sister of Olivia (Ollie), who is four years older. Living in the shadow of her beautiful, stubborn, impatient sister, Amy slowly develops an appreciation for the fact that all is not well in Ollie’s internal world. Skinny, bespectacled and clumsy, Amy is brainy and bullied, deeply in awe of her sister, and terrified as she begins to comprehend Ollie’s chaotic and erratic future.

As Amy comes to terms with the reality of her sister’s behavior, she must learn to let go, and to accept a sisterhood that is deeply flawed, fraught with unrealized expectations, and in large part completely without trust.

A skillfully-rendered study of emotional limitations and the journey to acceptance, this is in many ways a challenging read, unsettling in its resolute (and authentic) recognition of pain for, through and on behalf of our loved ones — pain that may or may not be, after all, totally resolvable.

A great big thank you to #Netgalley, the author and the publisher for an ARC of this book. All thoughts presented are my own.