Review: Three Sisters (by Heather Morris)

My Rating:  3.5 stars

In her third novel, Heather Morris once again brings us a tale of tragedy, heartbreak, and survival through the story of Slovakian sisters Cibi, Magda, and Livi Meller.  When they were only a few years old, the three sisters made a promise to their father that they ended up keeping for the rest of their lives:  that the three of them would always take care of each other and watch out for one another no matter what happens in their lives. Several years later, their beloved father is dead, but the promise they made to him continues to live on.  When Livi, the youngest of the sisters at 15 years old, is ordered to Auschwitz, 19 year old Cibi decides to go with her.  Though Magda is spared due to being away while the Nazis make their rounds, she is captured a few years later and also sent to Auschwitz.  Together again, the sisters not only fulfill the promise to watch after each other, they also make another promise — the fierce will to live and survive the horrors of the camp, no matter what.   During the death march, the sisters are able to find a way to escape, but after they return home, they realize that their lives will never be the same.  

While I like the story and appreciate Morris's efforts in relaying the Meller sisters' experiences through each of their perspectives, I felt that the writing was bit too simplistic and oftentimes felt detached from the narrative.  I found it difficult to engage with the story on the emotional level that I was expecting to, primarily because the writing lacked depth and so the emotional scenes felt like they had less impact.  I don't know if what I'm conveying makes sense, but after having read both of Morris's previous novels (both of which had moved me deeply), I unfortunately didn't feel the same connection to this one, despite how much I wanted to.  The way some parts were written I felt bogged the story down, to the point that I actually ended up skimming some sections instead of actually reading each word like I normally would.  

Having said all that, I do appreciate what Morris tried to do here, which was to relay the sisters' courage and resilience in surviving the camps and rising above the tragedies they experienced to ultimately live full and flourishing lives.  This third book definitely has a more hopeful and uplifting tone than the previous two, which I also appreciated.  The sisters' story is amazing on its own merit and absolutely a must read, especially given how few Holocaust survivors remain who are willing to share their stories.  Despite the issues I had with the writing, I'm glad I got the chance to be introduced to the Meller sisters and no doubt I'll be seeking out more of their story on my own.

Received ARC from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley