Tuesday, August 13, 2019

The Silent Sister by Diane Chamberlain


This was a quick read: a daughter searching through her family home after her father's death, unearthing devastating secrets.  Riley feels the heaviness of being the youngest daughter with a troubled older brother who doesn't remember their family background in the same way that she has.  The suicide death of their oldest sister adds to the pain.  As a school counselor, she feels the need to fix him, but even the uncovered lies do not help to bring their views any closer together.
I enjoyed this book throughout all the twists and turns.  One of my favorite lines was when the older brother, Danny, says to Riley: "It's not my mind that's sick, it's my soul."  What a statement!  So often in our society, the problems we face come down to soul sickness.  It seems that the combinations of temperament, home dynamics, and life experiences all intersect to vastly affect one family member in a very different way than another.  I think Augustine's prayer, " Our hearts are restless until they find rest in You" is the start to fixing soul sickness.

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