Description

One sister runs away and the other stays behind But what happens when the dutiful sister has to impersonate the rebel In her pageturning exploration of familial loyalty resentment secrets and grief Lilian Nattel explores the meaning and reach of family bonds

Joan has always done the right thing both as a palliative care doctor and as a caregiver for her widowed mother Sheila Joans adventurous sister Vivien is a different story She left home as soon as she was ablerunning from an insecure childhood troubled by an alcoholic father and a mother who constantly threw away all their possessions in order to buy new ones Viviens rarely been back working as a nurse in the worlds trouble zones leaving the heavy burden of family on her sister

Still when Vivien learns that their mother is seriously ill she reaches out to Joan Shes heading for a remote village where Ebola is spreading and shes afraid she may die If she does she wants Joan to pose as her online so her dying mother wont have to grieve a daughter Its a lie but its the good kind of lie designed to spare their mother and so Joan reluctantly agrees figuring it will never come to that

But Vivien does die And even as Joan mourns her sister she begins to impersonate her online as promised Its difficult at first but to her surprise posing as Vivien becomes liberating even addictiveThen she receives a message on her sisters Facebook from a man claiming to be the son Vivien gave up for adoption and the line between right and wrong adventure and tragedy really begins to blur