The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets: A Novel

THE MCAVOY SISTERS BOOK OF SECRETS by Molly Fader is a contemporary, adult, story line of woman’s fiction focusing on the McAvoy family: matriarch Meredith, sisters Delia (husband Dan) and Lindy, and Delia’s daughter Brin. Told from four third person perspectives (Meredith, Delia, Lindy and Brin) THE MCAVOY SISTERS focuses on seventeen years of secrets and heart break. Delia and Dan had their future’s ahead of them but one night destroyed it all. Fast forward to present day wherein Lindy returns home to help care for their ailing mother but struggles with the less than warm welcome of the sister she loves. Lindy and Delia have been estranged for close to seventeen years, an estrangement brought about by tragedy and the unacknowledged events of what happened years before. With their mother battling failing health, and Delia’s daughter Brin rebelling at every opportunity, Lindy becomes the beacon in the storm for a family that continues to spiral in to the abyss. What ensues is the rekindling relationship between Lindy and Delia, as Delia continues to bury the past, a past that is currently demanding to be revealed. THE MCAVOY SISTERS BOOK OF SECRETS is a story of family, secrets, lies and the fall out of seventeen years of buried pain and profound shame. As Delia’s daughter Brin begins to unravel the mystery of her family’s past, Delia is forced to reveal the truth even though the pain continues to destroy her heart. Molly Fader pulls the reader into a tale of one family’s journey and struggle with the destructive nature of secrets, tragedy, and their control of our every day lives. The strength of the premise is found in each of the character’s battle within themselves and with one another. The characters are passionate in their presentation as they face the truth of what happened years before in order to move forward.

The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets is not just a story about two sisters, Lindy and Delia. We are also exposed to the relationship of an aging mother, Meredith, with her daughters as Meredith the after-effects of a stoke being that she’s confused whether she is living in the past or today. There’s also the relationship between Delia and her two daughters, teen Brin and baby Ephie, as well as her relationship with her husband Dan. Meredith grew up in a time when people did not talk about bad things happening inside their house. You didn’t tell anyone that a parent was abusive; not the police, clergy, or a teacher. You lived and grew up keeping those secrets inside your home and locked up inside yourself. When her husband was lost at sea she continued the fallacy of not sharing, or telling your feelings or secrets. Delia and Lindy were not just sisters but also best friends. I loved how they communicated at night using a notebook so not to get caught still being awake. When something horrific happens to teen Delia it affects everyone as well as changes the dynamics of all the varying relationships. Lindy, the wild McAvoy sister, leaves town, not to return for seventeen years. Delia no longer lives the life she dreamed up, traveling in Europe and attending college to become a teacher; instead she marries Dan and has a baby, Brin, remaining in town. Seventeen years later nothing has truly changed when Lindy returned other than the birth of Ephie. Lindy was finally going to get the chance to spend time and get to know her nieces; especially if she stayed. Another change was the sweet Brin, feeling left out and unloved. She become rebellious, crying out for attention from a mother who had lost her perspective on life, a dad too busy with work and a newborn, and parents struggling with their own marriage. She was too young and lacked the life tools to understand what was happening to her family or able to fix any of it. It bothered me that no one pushed Delia to get some counseling to help her with her struggles when they first occurred, instead of waiting until now. I totally and absolutely loved the alternating POV by the four women that Ms. Fader utilized in order to tell this wonderful and amazing, three generational story; a tale that was emotional, tragic, filled with wonderful dialogue, and endearing characters that is must read. I highly recommend The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets to other readers. I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

This book, this book is about the journey that your life ends up being, when it doesn’t go as you planned. How the woman that you are, the women that are around you, the people who love you, are as fragile and as strong as you are. Love, and need to be loved, as much as you do. Have the same pain, the same hopelessness, the same despair, and share it all with you. They may know why, they may not know why, but they are connected to you. You care about them, and they care about you, and the moments make the relationships, good and bad. The women in your life, they will be there for you, you just need to let them in. The men in your life, they are unique, and deserve to be judged on their own merit. And the good ones, they are worthy of your love, and love you too. Every sister, every mother, every daughter, makes mistakes, but it is never too late to talk about them. It is never too late to heal and be whole This book, this story, is as dark and murky as the great lake it is set on, and it is just as powerful and profound. It had been engrossed in it from the beginning, and I was invested in the outcome with every word, each viewpoint, and it did not disappoint