I think that there are periods in our lives when we all may feel out of step with our siblings and/or family. We simply feel as if we don’t fit in for some reason. This appears to be the underlying theme of The Orphan Sister by Gwendolen Gross.
Clementine Lord feels out-of-step with her sisters, even though she is a triplet. It doesn’t help that they are identical twins and she is simply the “sister.” Or at least that how it feels to her at times. Clem’s sisters are high achievers and have beautiful names, Odette and Olivia. Their mother’s name is Octavia so of course Clem feel’s left out with something as simple as just her name. The twins were accepted to Harvard and went to medical school, ultimately specializing in obstetrics and pediatrics. They got married at the same time and even had their children within days of one another. Clem fell in love first but her boyfriend died during college. As a result of his death, it took Clem three years to complete her final year of college. She’s unsure of what she wants to do with her life but thinks she wants to become a vet…which is as close to medicine as she’ll get.
Clem loves her sisters, as well as her mother and father but she just feels that there’s something that puts her out of sync with the rest. All three sisters desperately want the approval of their father, and seem to subconsciously compete for that approval. Just when Clem is starting to feel comfortable with her life and where its heading her father disappears. Then it is revealed that he had another wife. The drama quotient is upped tremendously by this news. Clem is at first worried about her father’s absence and then just pissed that he would leave and remain incommunicado.
Ms. Gross has provided characters that are recognizable and likable because of their faults and blemishes. The Orphan Sister is a delightful story about learning to like your family not just love them and about accepting our individual differences.
Disclaimer: I received this book free for review purposes from Simon & Schuster’s Galley Grab. I was not paid, required or otherwise obligated to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
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