Book Review: The Lost Sister by Andrea Gunraj

By Kaylie Seed

Canadian author Andrea Gunraj published her sophomore novel The Lost Sister in September of 2019. Gunraj has written a heartbreakingly beautiful coming-of-age story about Alisha and her experiences before, during, and after the disappearance of her older sister Diana. During this time, Alisha develops an unlikely friendship with Paula, an older woman who faces her own challenges with her own sister. Gunraj weaves a number of storylines: Alisha’s search to find out what happened to her sister, Alisha figuring out who she is as a person, and in Paula’s story, unraveling family secrets and sharing her story of survival during her time in the Nova Scotia Home for Coloured Children with her sister Ave. Gunraj uses inspiration and information from Mr. Garnet Smith who provided her with a glimpse into his life having lived in the Nova Scotia Home for Coloured Children for fourteen years.

            Alisha’s parents are immigrants from Guyana who want the best life possible for their two daughters living in Toronto, Canada. Alisha has lived in the shadow of Diana’s successes.  Always second best, she never aspired to be better, or something more, until Diana goes missing. Paula’s story reveals her written account of what happened to her and her sister in the Nova Scotia Home for Coloured Children while they were growing up in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Paula is willing to do anything and everything to protect her baby sister which includes not always telling her the truth. Alisha and Paula are a questionable pair and while Alisha seeks to discover what happened to Diana she also becomes entangled in Paula and Ave’s story.

            The Lost Sister not only takes the reader down a dark path in Canada’s history but also points to the continued prejudices that immigrant families face today. While The Lost Sister focuses on some seedier parts in Canada’s history, The Lost Sister also works its way into your heart as Gunraj tells the tale of the bond that sisters share. Gunraj knows how to pull those strings tightly. It is not often that you see a story that focuses on the relationship between sisters. Gunraj has done an exquisite job creating that complex relationship that sisters share and portraying it in two very different storylines.  Gunraj has written a story that is both heartbreaking and heartwarming. As this is Gunraj’s second novel, it would be lovely to see more work from her in the future. Andrea Gunraj is an up-and-coming Canadian author that readers should keep on their radar. 

Book Review: Every Family is Different by Constance O’Connor and Natalia Rojas, Illustrated by Lucy Poley

By Kaylie Seed

Constance O’Connor and Natalia Rojas together with illustrator Lucy Poley published the children’s book Every Family is Different in 2019. They have created a brilliantly educational and adorable children’s book teaching children that all families are unique and different. Every Family is Different is a lovely children’s book that uses animal families as a way to describe how families are unique and diverse.

O’Connor is a scientist who studies animals and their behaviour. She uses her knowledge of various animals to create, with Rojas, a narrative about different animal families. Rojas is an early childhood educator. With Rojas’ knowledge of children and O’Connor’s knowledge of animals, together they have created a way to show children that a family might be different than their own and that each family is wonderful just as they are.

Lucy Poley is the illustrator for Every Family is Different and she uses soft line work mixed with realistic animals to create an aesthetically appealing book. Poley is also a scientist who enjoys animals and the outdoors, so it is no wonder that Every Family is Different is both accurate and artistic.

Every Family is Different provides an opportunity for parents to teach their children about different families and to teach their children about various animals.  The rhyming prose is both lovely and fun to read aloud. Parents who are looking for a creative way to teach their children about diverse families should pick up a copy of this beautiful children’s book. Every Family is Different will not only help teach children but the adorable animals will bring a smile to anyone’s face.

Book Review: The Other People by C.J. Tudor

By Kaylie Seed

C.J. Tudor’s fourth novel The Other People was released in January of this year and it promises to not disappoint fans of her work. It’s both a thriller and mystery all rolled into one. Tudor, who is regarded as the “Stephen King of the UK”, has created yet another brilliant novel full of twists and turns with just a touch of the supernatural. Tudor’s story is told from three different perspectives: Gabe is a devoted father and not-so-great husband. He tirelessly searches the motorway for his daughter Izzy that he swears he saw in the back of a car three years ago. She hasn’t been seen since. Katie is a single mom who waitresses at a service station. She is roped into Gabe’s journey after she pokes too much into the unknown. But she soon learns she may know more than she thinks she does. Lastly, Fran and her daughter Alice are on the run. Afterall, Fran is the only person who knows what really happened to Gabe’s daughter on the last day he saw her. They are each connected to one another and as the story progresses more and more truths come forward that have a direct impact on what has happened to Izzy. This mystery takes the reader on an unpredictable and twisty ride.

The Other People challenges the unspoken belief that bad things are never meant to happen to us. Bad things are always meant to happen to “other” people, to people we don’t know, and to people we will never meet. But when bad, unjust things do happen - where can we turn to for help and guidance? When Gabe is searching for his daughter he comes across a community of people that are hidden in the deepest corners of the internet in the Dark Web. Gabe learns about this community and that they will fulfill requests of any nature if that person completes a favour in return. If they don’t complete the favour they will suffer dire consequences. As Gabe continues to search for Izzy, he wonders how this is connected to her disappearance and if he will ever see her again.

Tudor’s writing is impeccable and her prose is elegantly haunting. She has created a story that keeps the reader guessing and slowly peels back layers to show what truly happened on the night Gabe saw Izzy in the back of a random car. The Other People also holds many secrets that are pieced together to reveal a much larger picture in the end. Tudor came into the writing world violently and beautifully with breathtaking work; I cannot wait to see what she has to show the world next. 

Book Review: Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel

Review by: Kaylie Seed

Stephanie Wrobel’s debut novel Darling Rose Gold  has come into the world during a very uncertain time, but that hasn’t stopped it from becoming an instant hit. Wrobel has taken two perspectives and intertwined them to create a hauntingly chilling story about an extreme mother-daughter relationship filled with manipulation and deception. Darling Rose Gold shows just how far the love between a mother and daughter can go, and how dangerous that can be.

Patty has always been a doting mother willing to do anything to make sure that her darling Rose Gold is looked after and healthy. Which is why Patty can’t seem to understand why Rose Gold has turned on her after all she’s done for her. You see, Rose Gold grew up to be a very (constantly) sick child, leaving Rose Gold to realize that perhaps things are not as they seem. Patty ends up in jail for aggravated child abuse against her daughter and Rose Gold takes it upon herself to find out why her mother did what she did.

Wrobel’s main theme in Darling Rose Gold is the twisted relationship between Patty and Rose Gold. Patty believes that everything she’s done for Rose Gold has been out of love, to take care of her sick daughter and nurse her back to health. To expand on the mother-daughter relationship, Wrobel takes things further by giving the reader background information on Patty’s childhood and how she grew up. There has been much trauma in Patty’s life that she has not fully coped with and because of that the reader can see that there is some intergenerational trauma between Patty’s past and her relationship with Rose Gold. While Patty isn’t necessarily a good person, it is easy for the reader to see where some of her issues come from and Wrobel does a wonderful job giving the reader plenty of background so that they can make sense of the cruel actions that Patty commits. Patty and Rose Gold can both be unlikeable characters in different aspects which works really well within the story. The two of them together create a toxic environment where they feed off one another. Wrobel does an excellent job creating two characters that are both very different and yet very similar to each other.

Wrobel has created a fascinating piece of art that is bound to shock readers while keeping them entertained until the very end. Darling Rose Gold is incredibly well written and because of that, I am excited to see what Wrobel writes next. The prose is lovely and the story flows nicely which makes for an easy and enjoyable read. If you are a fan of Lisa Jewell and Gillian Flynn, or if you enjoy a great thriller, then do yourself a favour and grab a copy of Darling Rose Gold, you won’t be disappointed.