Book Review, Cancer, Contemporary, Family Relationships, Women's Fiction

The True and Outstanding Adventures of the Hunt Sisters by Elisabeth Robinson

This book is an epistolary novel which means it is written in letters.  The interesting part is that the letters are written by one person only.  You would think this would make it difficult to follow how the other characters are feeling, but Ms. Robinson does an excellent job of letting the reader know.

The main character, Olivia, is a down-and-out film producer who is told her sister, Maddie, has cancer.  The story centers around Olivia’s support for her sister (negotiating with her family or doctors on what is best for Maddie), her non-existent love life (should she or shouldn’t she), and to the difficult task of producing a film that has been done before (stand by her ideas or give in to the status quo).

I really enjoyed this story.  It is about hope and hopelessness.  It’s about strength and weakness.  It’s about love of family and love of oneself.  Even though the subject matter is serious, the prose is witty and stimulating.   A good summer read!