In My Sister's Country [Paperback]

Lise Haines (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2003

This tale of two sisters and the dark rivalry that simmers between them provides both a compulsive read and an insightful look at sex, manipulation, and power-and introduces readers to one of the most fascinating narrators in recent fiction.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Readers will have a difficult time deciding who is the more self-destructive sister in this darkly comic debut novel of sibling rivalry and family dysfunction. Perhaps 17-year-old Molly functioning more or less on her own after going to live with her older sister, Amanda, an executive at a major Chicago magazine should be allotted extra points for daring to think it might be possible to cope. Their mother is in a hospice, dying of cancer, and their father a renowned psychologist left the family some years earlier and mysteriously disappeared. Beautiful, driven and high-strung Amanda is the domineering force in Molly's life, and the two continually lock horns. As Molly acts out her frustrations through random sexual encounters (including a risky obsession and charade with Amanda's boyfriend, Nathaniel), she replays flashbacks of the twisted life with her sister and parents, in particular the tyrannical mind games their father played with the girls and his ruthless control over their weak-willed mother. Past and present play out in dark, shadowy parallels and even Molly's few friends, rich kids Sharon and Hollister, are prone to games and subterfuge. There's a sinister, dreamlike quality in the way Haines handles this material, blending the realistic Chicago city setting with murky, almost otherworldly set pieces and the precocious Molly's keen yet off-balance insights. Not for the psychologically squeamish, this inventive twist on family malaise makes the unbelievable believable and lingers creepily after the last page. (Apr.)Forecast: Fans particularly the younger ones of Josephine Hart's novels (Damage, etc.) and urban writers like Maggie Estep are the ideal audience for this haunting debut, and presumably the Putnam publicity machine will alert them to this title. Expect respectable sales.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

With her mother in a hospice, dying of cancer, and her father long gone, 17-year-old Molly has no one else to live with other than her older sister, Amanda, with whom she barely gets along. Molly is obsessed with Amanda's lover Nathaniel, and, disguising herself by dying her hair and buying new, sophisticated clothes, she pursues him with the help of her worldly friend, Sharon. Haines traces Molly's troubles back to her childhood, when her demanding father, a psychiatrist, forced her and her sister to play complex memory games and disappeared suddenly and inexplicably. When a mysterious lodger known to Molly only as Mr. Graf comes to live in the spare rooms of the family's house, both Amanda and her mother are taken with him. Molly determines to find out the meaning behind the hold Mr. Graf has on her mother and sister. What she discovers leads to the intense division between her and Amanda, and, in her eyes, to her mother's downward spiral. Sharp writing and strong characters distinguish this first novel. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Blue Hen Trade (April 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425188620
• ISBN-13: 978-0425188620
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,288,957 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read, January 17, 2003

By 

Michael Steinberg (Lansing, MI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: In My Sister's Country (Hardcover)

This summer at a writer's conference, I heard Lise Haines read a savvy, somewhat zany and erotic scene from In My Sister's Country. I was so taken by Molly (the main character's)sensibility that when the reading ended, I was first in line at the book table. The rest of the book delivered the same payoff as the author's reading had promised.I spent the better part of the next two evenings inside of Molly's head as she tries to discover and come to terms with who she is. I was exhilarated and sad when I finished the novel. It's the kind of book you never want to end.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars astute psychological tale, June 7, 2002

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: In My Sister's Country (Hardcover)

Their father abandoned them years ago and now their compliant mother is dying forcing the recalcitrant younger of the siblings, teenage Molly to move into the home of her older sister the manipulative Amanda. Except for economics, Molly hates this scenario, as she cannot forgive Amanda for her role in abetting their father in his psychological power games when he lived with them. Worse to Molly is Amanda is a chip off the old block as she needs to dominate their relationship.

The sisters quickly find it easier to lie and pretend an understanding rather than any degree of honesty between them. This world of fabrication is fine to both Molly and Amanda until the seventeen-year old obsesses over her sibling's boy friend. Pondering her past when her home was allegedly a happy place to live, Molly sees nightmares and games families play turning her further into a rebel without a cause with no allies not even her friends.

Chicago has probably never looked as scary as it is seen through the eyes of Molly, a deep character whose psychological woes are the centerpiece of this strong drama. IN MY SISTER'S COUNTRY is as astute of a psychological tale as a reader will find as Lise Haines takes the audience inside to the core of Molly and Amanda who see the same event relatively differently. Fans of taut character studies will relish Ms. Haine's triumphant look at a dysfunctional relationship, but the catch is that this is no joyful trek to the Central Park duck ponds.

Harriet Klausner

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I was so enthralled, I read it in one sitting., December 26, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: In My Sister's Country (Hardcover)

Thinking I only had a couple of hours to spend on the book, I found myself sitting down for 5 straight hours and reading it, cover to cover. When introduced to Molly, the 17-year-old leading character, I was intrigued by her independence, her fearlessness, and spirit. This is not your typical 17-year old. No family is perfect and Molly's is no exception. The twists and turns that take place in the relationships among and between Molly's parents, her older sister/guardian, and several other men in Molly's life keep one feeling as if anything is possible. Molly doesn't really seem to care about the outcomes of her actions but it's the history of where she comes from that helps define who she is yet not where she's going. I wish I'd had some of her self-esteem as a teenager .

No matter what kind of circumstances Molly was in, I just kept rooting for her, wanting her to overcome everything and was relieved when she was able to do just that.