The Murderer’s Daughters
By Randy Susan Meyers
(St. Martin’s Griffin, Paperback, 9780312674434, February 2011, 310pp.)

The Short of It:

An impressive, fictional debut that had me in tears at one point. Beautifully told, sad at times yet ultimately hopeful.

The Rest of It:

The murder of Lulu’s mother and the near murder of her younger sister, Merry is hard enough for Lulu to understand, but at the hands of her own father? How does a ten-year-old child deal with the fact that her mother is no longer there for her? How does she accept that her father is a murderer and in prison? In addition to the enormity of the situation itself, Lulu feels responsible for her sister, who happens to still love her father, despite the fact that she almost died because of him.

This book did all sorts of things to me. It made me angry and sad and sometimes I hated the father, but other times I questioned myself. Would it be possible to forgive someone for killing your own mother? Does a child’s love run that deep? Although The Murderer’s Daughters deals with some really heavy themes, there is a brightness to it. It’s not all dark. In fact, much of it is hopeful.

I loved these sisters. I loved their relationship and I could relate to both of them. Meyers managed to create realistic tension between them, without it seeming forced. They were each complex in their own way, and each so different, yet close, very close and I admired the skill it took to make them that way. I also loved the touches of detail here and there that helped round out the story. It wasn’t too much. Not the “in your face” filler detail that you often see with new writers.

I’m not sure what I expected when picking this one up, but I think I expected a more melodramatic tale and I was so pleased that it wasn’t that kind of book. Book clubs would do well with this one. There is so much to discuss and much of it is still on my mind. I recommend it highly.

A note about the author:

The copy that I was given had a section on why the author wrote the book. Turns out, that the author and her sister had a similar experience with their own father. Their experience did not result in death, but Meyers was haunted by the “what ifs.” This explains why the story elements were so convincing.

If you’d like a chance to win a copy, check out the details below.

Source: Review and giveaway copy provided by St. Martin’s Press.

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION

This giveaway is for one copy of The Murderer’s Daughters and is open to the US and Canada. A winner will be chosen randomly by me. The book will come directly from the publisher. Only one entry per person.  Giveaway closes on April 15, 2011 (pacific). I will contact the winner for his/her mailing address.

To enter the giveaway, please click here. (Giveaway is now closed!)