‘The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets’ Delivers Thoughtful Family Drama [REVIEW]

Will the shores of Lake Erie ever feel like home again? (Photo by Canva)

Two sisters driven apart by a long-buried secret. One built a life in the city. The other stayed behind in their small hometown. When their ailing mother needs help, will they be able to bury the hatchet, or will their feud catch fire once again? Find out in Molly Fader’s The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets. 

Graydon House

Once upon a time, Meredith McAvoy raised two young daughters on the shores of Lake Erie. Lindy left more than 17 years ago to forge her own path. But her sister, Delia, stayed behind, married her childhood sweetheart, and took care of her mother.

In recent years, Meredith’s health started to decline. Upon her request, her neighbor, Garrett Smith, calls Lindy to convey what is going on and that she is needed at home. Although Garrett is happy to make the call, he soon realizes that the McAvoy family dynamics are more complicated than they first appear. If he gets involved, it will surely require making commitments that he’d rather avoid, especially since he is determined to protect his heart from further damage.

Upon her return, Lindy and Delia try to let sleeping dogs lie. The last thing they want to do is start a spat that will only aggravate their mother’s condition. So they make a truce, one which fails to hold water and ultimately leads to the very confrontation that they seek to avoid, one which broaches the taboo topic of what really happened that summer 17 years before. It is only then that these sisters realize that the more you try to bury all those unresolved issues from the past, the more stagnant life becomes in the long run, until it all but cripples you from ever moving on.

From the moment Fader starts this novel with Garrett’s phone call to Lindy, she shows just how deftly she writes compelling dialogue. This is an exchange that draws us into the premise of the story, but one which also reveals the author’s attentive ear for language and captures the awkward banter between two people who have not seen each other since high school. These type of exchanges prove both arresting and fruitful, and I loved reading them!

She also hooks us with the very tangible relationship between the McAvoy sisters. These are siblings who were once quite close, but who let a difference of opinion pull them apart and tangle the vines of their lives until their whole family is a mess. Fader thus demonstrates her keen attention to the human condition and her insights into the characters’ psyche. By the end of her tale, she teaches us that at some point, the past catches up with everyone. We may keep others at bay by limiting our association with them, but in the end, all misunderstandings must be brought into the light, examined, and dealt with if we are ever going to throw open the doors and let happiness in.

If you are searching for a complex novel rife with flawed characters and plenty of tense family drama, look no further than Molly Fader’s The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets. It is a story that is thoughtful, entertaining, and will have you picking up the phone to call your siblings before the last page is turned.

Molly Fader

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Molly Fader is the award-winning author of more than 40 romance novels under the pen names Molly O’Keefe and M. O’Keefe.

She grew up outside of Chicago and now lives in Toronto.

The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets is her first women’s fiction novel.

Visit Molly at her home on the Web at MollyFader.com, like her on Facebook, and follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

THE MCAVOY SISTERS BOOK OF SECRETS
By Molly Fader
368 pp. Graydon House. $16.99

Purchase The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets at one of these fine online retailers: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Harlequin, IndieBound, and Powell’s.