Sister

What would you do if your sister disappeared without a trace? Sister is the Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling debut novel by Rosamund Lupton. It has been translated into over thirty languages and was the fastest-selling debut of 2010 by a British author, a BBC Radio 4 Book at Bedtime and was winner of the Richard and Judy Best Debut Novel of 2011 Award and the Strand Magazine Critics First Novel Award. 

When Beatrice gets a frantic call in the middle of Sunday lunch to say that her younger sister, Tess, is missing, she boards the first flight home to London. But as she learns about the circumstances surrounding her sister’s disappearance, she is stunned to discover how little she actually knows of her sister’s life – and unprepared for the terrifying truths she must now face.

The police, Beatrice’s fiance and even their mother accept they have lost Tess but Beatrice refuses to give up on her. So she embarks on a dangerous journey to discover the truth, no matter the cost.

‘Nicci French via Ford Madox Ford. Sister is so ably done, so perceptive about grief and guilt and self-delusion’
John O'Connell, The Guardian
'With Sister, Lupton enters the highly charged ring where the best psychological detective writers spar, her hands raised in a victory clench. She encircles her story with electrified ropes: new developments continually jolt her readers, which doesn’t stop them from eagerly – and a little sadistically – awaiting the impact of the next blow. Like Kate Atkinson, Patricia Highsmith and Ruth Rendell, Lupton builds suspense not only around the causes and and details of her story’s brutal denouement, but also around the personalities..…Both tear-jerking and spine-tingling ‘Sister’ provides an adrenaline rush that could cause a chill on the sunniest afternoon.’
New York Times
‘Lupton’s crisp insights into grief and familial guilt are married to a confidently executed plot. Lupton’s persuasive narrative voice is what keeps this classy debut (on track)’
Emma Hagestadt, The Independent
'Stunningly accomplished from first page to last, this is the most exciting debut thriller I’ve read all year. The suspense crackles, and the twists come thick and fast, but – more than that – it has a touching poignancy that brings tears to your eyes … Written with the power and panache of a young Daphne du Maurier, it’s devastatingly good, and announces the arrival of a truly original talent.’
Daily Mail
'Rosamund Lupton's Sister grips like a vice'
Sunday Times
'This superb debut novel has so many twists as to cause dizziness – it’s the literary equivalent of ‘scream if you want to go faster’ – and, just when you think things are slowing down to a peaceful, settled resolution, there’s one stomach-churning final turn in store.’
Radio Times
‘A remarkable piece of work. Lupton shrewdly and compassionately peels back the story’s rich layers.’
Seattle Times
'The narrative process is so intimate and delicate…the stop-and-start associative movement of Bea’s voice is, as a British review wrote, “utterly compelling.” And the ending, however gently foreshadowed, is a stunner.’
Houston Chronicle
‘A chilling, gripping, tragic heart-warming, life-affirming enigma of a story.’
Booklist, starred review
Publication date
02/09/2010
Format
Paperback
Price
£8.99
ISBN
9780749942014