The author of this book is Barbara Delinsky. While My Sister Sleeps was originally published in 2009. I started this book July 31 and to be honest I really didn’t know how I was feeling about it before I started it. I picked it because I was in a hurry and I needed something – anything to get me through the next week until we got to visit the library again. I have another book that I’ve been reading and it’s hard to stay focused on it so I needed another break from it. I was hoping this would do the trick. At least keep me occupied for a few days.
This book didn’t let me down. It grabbed my attention right in the beginning and I couldn’t look away the further in I got. If Molly and Robin weren’t sisters it wouldn’t have pulled at me in the same way. The love/hate relationship between these two was so real and anyone with a sister would be able to appreciate this I think.
Of course they love each other like only sisters could. The jealousy Molly feels toward her sister isn’t surprising as it’s hard to live in the shadow of a sibling that can do no wrong. In Molly’s eyes, she was always being compared to her older sister and she felt she would never measure up. When Molly gets a call from the hospital telling her that Robin had an accident, she assumed that her sister was looking for attention again and over reacting. Things changed when she got there and found out that Robin had a massive heart attack. It wasn’t looking good. After some testing was done the family was informed that Robin would not be waking up.
During the next week Molly realized that there was so much about her older sister that she didn’t know. Things like how much Robin volunteered with young girls to help train them to run since Robin was close to competing in the next olympics, how much she envied Molly and their brother Chris, how she felt like she didn’t quite fit in the family, and a few other big secrets that would shake things up in the family. I felt I could relate to both Molly and Robin with many of their thoughts and feelings. After getting to know their Mother, I understood many of her decisions and I agreed with her whole-heartedly. She is a very strong woman who faced many difficult decisions and her children all got their strength from her.
In the end, Molly had lost a friend, lost a sister, almost lost her house, gained new perspective on life, gained a new friend, renewed her relationship with her Mom, learned so much about Robin, learned a lot about herself and received a special gift from the big sister that she will never forget.
I won’t lie, this story brought on the tears. The anger, the frustration and the indescribable feeling of sadness of Molly’s loss. The compassion that came with learning Robin’s secret, the beautiful feeling of forgiveness towards their Mother, and the pure love between Molly and her Nana that gave her the comfort she needed to get through all of this.
This isn’t a new book but I truly recommend it! Barbara Delinsky has left me with so much wisdom and a new way of looking at life through this book. While My Sister Sleeps is definitely in my top five favorites of 2019.
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