Sisterhood

Sisterhood is the twenty-second novel by best-selling Irish author, Cathy Kelly. When, soon after her fiftieth birthday party, Lou Fielding takes off to Sligo, and then Sicily, with her younger sister, Toni, her daughter Emily isn't worried: it's about time her mother took time for herself. Lou's disorganised husband, Ned assumes she'll soon forgive him for forgetting to buy her a gift.

Her sculptress mother, Lillian, though, is quite put out that her normally biddable daughter isn't at her beck and call to see to the menial chores with which she, as a creative, shouldn't have to bother. And her ungrateful employers at Blossom Flowers are just about frantic that Lou isn't answering her phone when a wealthy client is expecting Lou's personal attention and the young business-degreed new hire hasn't a clue.

They have all taken her for granted, a situation for which Lou does bear some responsibility: she tended to make her own needs so minuscule that nobody remembered them. "Why did she feel that she had no right to bother other people with her problems when they had no problem bothering her with theirs?"

There are seven years between Lou and Toni, and nobody would have even guessed they were sisters. Toni is utterly self-contained and confident, while Lou could fit her self-confidence in one of the tiny, enamelled pill boxes their aunt Gloria collected. Toni has a wildly popular TV show, she also mentors as part of the Women in Business charity. It wasn't that Toni was an absent sister, but she had a big life and, by contrast, Lou felt her own life was small.

But now, Toni has problems of her own: a husband who has betrayed her trust, but not in the usual way; and a nasty businessman who has recorded an angry tirade that amounts to career suicide. She needs time to think about what to do, and distraction when it gets a bit overwhelming, and their quest in Sicily is just the ticket.

And Sicily? That's because of the shockingly insensitive revelation Lillian made at the party about Lou's parentage. Just to add a little more spice to the trip, they acquire a very appreciative hitchhiker who gives them a youthful perspective on life's problems and joys.

Kelly certainly has the knack for producing a lump in the throat, of making the jaw drop at some of the behaviour of her characters, and of providing laugh out loud at some of the dialogue. Her characters are mostly appealing and she gives them wise words and insightful observations. Lou eventually notes: "People treated you how you allowed them to treat you" and understands that "Her mother was very successful at only worrying about what she cared to worry about", while Toni tells her "There were no princes in life – women needed to rescue themselves and they helped each other." Topical, moving and thought-provoking.

This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and the publisher.