From the beginning, the Blues were a little unconventional.  The parents and their four daughters lived in a two-bedroom and one-bathroom Manhattan apartment.  As time went on, each of the girls craved a space of their own, but that was virtually impossible.  Whether it was because their mother never really took to motherhood or because of their father's mercurial moods, the responsibility of parenting eventually fell to Avery, the eldest daughter.  Succumbing to the pressure, Avery turned to drugs and left home.  Bonnie followed her dream of becoming a professional boxer.  Nicky realized her dream of becoming a teacher. Lucky, the youngest, left home at fifteen to pursue a modeling career and went on to become a hard-core party girl.  In BLUE SISTERS, a novel by Coco Mellors, we meet Avery, Bonnie and Lucky as adults the year after Nicky unexpectedly dies.

The author has crafted an extraordinarily in-depth examination of the complex relationships between the three sisters. Where there were once four, there are now three and they don't know how to adjust. Nicky had held them together and without her they were unmoored. Their family dynamic was always fragile and their new reality left them with immeasurable grief. As the story progresses, readers will wonder if they can ever get through this. When the sisters gather to empty their childhood home, the family dynamic begins to crumble.

The character development is excellent as is the dialogue.  No stones are left unturned during intense conversations between the sisters.  During verbal confrontations, things are said that would have best been left unsaid. Can the women recover from this?

Families can be messy and the Blues are no exception. In this story about dealing with grief, the power of family and facing old secrets and resentments a seed of hope surfaces.  Will it be enough to give the Blues a future they can live with?

If there was ever a powerful story about the strength and frailties of sisterhood, BLUE SISTERS is that story. Beautifully told with sensitivity and honesty, this book is well worth reading.  Highly recommended.