The Orphan Sister By Gwendolen Gross

Finding the path to one’s own identity is a story in and of itself, but to be one of three brings about a number of additional complexities. Gwendolen Gross writes a multifaceted story of Clementine Lords’ journey in finding her own path. Clementine is a singleton who was born a triplet with identical twin sister’s Odette and Olivia. She is one with them and yet she is different and not the same as them. She is the odd sister out.

When Clementine’s father goes missing she is pressed to deal with her long standing family issues. A father she loved, hated, wanted his approval, rebelled against, didn’t trust and longed to trust. A mother she felt who hide herself away in her husband’s shadow not fully living up to the strong, smart, independent woman Clementine believed she could be. Her identical twin sisters, who she longed to be one with and at the same time wanted to be different than. While dealing with these numerous family emotions, she is also dealing with finding peace and moving on after losing her ‘other half’.

As Clementine moves forward in finding out where her father went, she has flashbacks of her childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood. These flashbacks allow the reader to gain a deeper and greater understanding to the complexity of Clementine. She has a deep need for acceptance and wants to know she is just as much a part of the family as the rest of the ‘flock’. Clementine learns you become your own woman when you no longer look for acceptance from others, but from yourself and to not let other peoples’ lives dominate ours.

Truthfully, the only thing in regard to The Orphan Sister I didn’t like was I didn’t have someone to talk to about it! I’m so glad I can share some of my book love with you! Gwendolen Gross is an amazingly smart writer! She writes beautifully! The book is in a constant state of movement diving into the complexities of family. Even though I’m very different than Clementine I could really relate to her desire to feel safe and accepted. Her relationship with her father (though different) made me reflect on my own relationship with mine. I’d love to go on and on discussing the end of the book, but I do not want to spoil the story for any of you.

I absolutely recommend The Orphan Sister and if you are in a book club this is a must read! So please go out and buy a copy, read it and I would love for you to come back and tell me what you think of it!


http://www.gwendolengross.com/