Sibling rivalry has been the backbone of stories as far back as Cain murdering Abel. In her debut novel, The Sisters, Eastern Kentucky University professor Nancy Jensen ups the game of this age-old antagonism. Spanning a period from the Depression to the present, the novel features two loving sisters, Mabel and Bertie Fischer from Juniper, Ky. They are forever separated when a deliberate decision becomes cruelly twisted by fate.
Readers will be mesmerized by the parallel narratives of the two sisters as they experience the trials and joys of life. Jensen’s ability to craft emotionally raw dialog moves the story along with its own unique force. Imagine the surprise when readers learn the pale thread that Jensen has dangled in the opening pages is really a gnarled rope of shocks that awaits unraveling until the final paragraphs. The ending is a spellbinding bombshell.
The true story behind the novel is equally fascinating. Jensen’s grandmother had hidden the existence of a sister. Jensen was never able to learn the story of the sister, but the quest to satisfy her curiosity begat this novel. Readers will hope there are more skeletons in Jensen’s closet to produce a second novel.
— Jacqueline Kohl