Tuesday, April 6, 2010

The Murderer's Daughters by Randy Susan Meyers

"Mama lay on the floor. Blood dripped on the green and brown linoleum."

Title:
The Murderer's Daughters
Author:
Randy Susan Meyers
ISBN: 9780312576981
Publisher: St. Martin's Press/2009
Pages: 30
7

It is a touching novel about two sisters, whose father has murdered their mother and also had stabbed Mercy, the younger sister. Mercy survives and it falls upon Lulu to look after her. None of their relatives are keen to take them in. Both are sent to a home for children, which is not really a good place to live. By being good, they are taken in for foster care by a good family. But can't belong to that family. Both realise that they onlyhave each other to fall back on and no one else.

Lulu, the older sister, doesn't wish to have any kind of connection with their father, who is in the prison forlife. But Mercy can't stop herself from visiting him in the jail at regular intervals. It has some effecton their relationship but they choose to ignore it.

Told in the alternate voices of both the sisters, it reaches out to us, touching us to the core. Having lost both parents, one forever, other in prison, they can't fulfil that void. It affects their relationship with other people too. When after three decades, Ther father is supposed to come out, both are scared in their own ways.

Everyone wishes to know why did their father stab Mercy, who was only five years old. A crime of passion destroys a family. And is it easy to overcome it? It is oneof those books which lingers in our mind. We feel for the sisters and the stigma of being a murderer's daughter stays on. Although they try to hide it from the world.

10 comments:

Susan said...

this sounds interesting. I've always been curious/aware of how a legacy like that might haunt a person, since I met someone once whose father had killed this person's mother and then himself, leaving the child behind. How does anyone grow up with that knowledge? So I think I'll look for this book. Thanks for the review!

Anonymous said...

I loved this book, and it sounds like you enjoyed it too. I just thought the relationships in the novel were so fascinating, so complex - I couldn't put it down!

bermudaonion said...

Oh my gosh, what a story! I love books that stick with me like that.

Veens said...

Wow... that would be an incredible read no?!
I can totally feel for them..great review!

fredamans said...

Lovely teaser! I'm drawn right in. Sounds like a very deep read.

http://fredasvoice.blogspot.com/2010/04/teaser.html

Staci said...

I so want to read this one..it's on my list of books that I need to read!

Unknown said...

I've got this on my tbr. Can't wait to read it. Sounds really good.

Lisa (Southern Girl Reads) said...

This definitely sounds like one I'd enjoy. Thanks for the review!

Anonymous said...

Wow, that first sentence grabbed my attention. It sounds like a book that will stay with you.

Karen and Gerard said...

This book was good; I liked it too. The cover and title really is what got my attention. Here's my review of it if interested:
http://ourstack.blogspot.com/2011/07/murderers-daughters-by-randy-susan.html