Sisters of a Halved Heart is a complicated family drama that explores messy sibling relationships, betrayal, jealousy, competition, and grief.

Sisters of a Halved Heart by Nayantara Roy

Genre/Categories/Setting: Contemporary Fiction, Complicated Family Drama, Sisters, Love Triangle, Indian-American, Brooklyn (New York City)

***This post contains Amazon Affiliate Links

My Summary:

Thanks #NetGalley @AlgonquinBooks for a complimentary eARC of #SistersOfAHalvedHeart upon my request. All opinions are my own.

Sisters of a Halved Heart is a complex family drama that explores messy sibling relationships, betrayal, jealousy, competition, and grief.

My Thoughts:

Half Sisters

Mia and Joy are half-sisters and share a father, and despite a several-year age gap, they were close as children. Their mothers are absent for various reasons. In their adult lives, Mia is a poetry editor for a literary magazine in New York City, and Joy is a successful lawyer. Mia is with Jack, the love of her life. When she introduces Jack to her father and Joy, things get complicated. Joy and Jack betray Mia and Mia leaves for England where she spends the next few years. Joy and Jack marry. The story begins as Mia returns to New York City after her long absence. For the sake of their ailing father, the sisters agree to work together and Mia braces herself to see Jack again.

Jealousy and competition over Jack have never fully resolved. As the sisters tend to their father, Mia and Jack find themselves in uncomfortable situations.

Likable Characters?

While the author presents readers with realistic, well-drawn characters, I’m not sure that these sisters are likable. In fact, I liked Mia less and less as the story progressed. I finished the story pondering the idea that she might have progressed from an unlikable character to an unreliable narrator.

A Love Triangle and Betrayal

At the center of the story is a love triangle. Mia can’t get past losing Jack to her sister, and Joy feels guilty over loving and marrying Jack. One of the most compelling themes of the story is betrayal. The story opens with a major betrayal, and just as we sense the beginnings of restoration and healing, one sister reveals a shocking secret that we can predict will impact their lives in the future and be seen as another betrayal.

I moved from thinking of this as a complicated relationship to thinking of it as dysfunctional. The secrets, competitiveness, and power plays are a vicious cycle. Ultimately, I predict that Mai and Joy will be estranged.

Recommending Sisters of a Halved Heart:

Fans of well-written, page-turning, messy, complicated family drama will enjoy Sisters of a Halved Heart. I enjoyed the Indian-American cultural elements.

My Rating: 4 Stars

More Information Here

Meet the Author of Sisters of a Halved Heart, Nayantara Roy

Nayantara Roy was born in Kolkata and lives in Los Angeles. The Magnificent Ruins is her debut novel. In 2018, Roy won the Rick DeMarinis Short Story Prize for her short story, “8C.” Her plays have been performed in India and the UK. She is also a television executive at STARZ/Lionsgate, where she acquires and develops original scripted television series.

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QOTD:

Do you enjoy sisters’ stories?

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