Fall On Your Knees

i think that ann-marie mcdonald is a brilliant writer. i eagerly await her next publication, as i have allowed myself to get lost in the two worlds she has created thus far. her character development is extraordinary. her dialogue, pitch-perfect. in short, a literary haven.

next on the list: 'fall on your knees' by ann-marie mcdonald.

i struggle to know where to begin describing this book. it completely caught me off guard, drew me in, and shocked me in the end. i will say that i feel i'm a rather perceptive reader and find that i am rarely shocked by an ending that is smart and actually makes sense. this one, although extremely shocking, was one that definitely threw me for a loop.

what i love about mcdonald's writing is that it attains the perfect balance. there is never any superfluous information that you have to skim over and yet you never find yourself clamoring for more detail either. i love that and it is a rare find.

this book is a story of 4 sisters, the piper sisters, in nova scotia at the turn of the 20th century. their dad is caucasian, their mom is persian, and that balance during that time period often causes the girls to struggle knowing where they fit. they are cut off from their mother's side of the family, as they disown her when she marries a white man. their dad's family is dead. so it is their family unit alone that makes up their family. with a father who is obsessed with his oldest daughter's vocal talent and a mother who has become almost mute due to her husband's abuse, this is a story of how the girls struggle to grow up apart from any real guidance other than what they give one another.

the relationships between the sisters is what drives this book, especially the relationship between the two middle sisters, mercedes and frances. as their mother's death forces mercedes to conform to the mother role and frances continues to feel the need to protect the youngest in any way possible, the heart and drama of the story unfolds.

the pages turn themselves in this story. there is a driving pulse that is motivated by absolutely incredible character development that is addictive. the end is quite shocking, so i wouldn't recommend this to everyone, but will say that if you can get past some of the controversial subject matter, this book is one that will keep you thinking for a few days.

and hey, oprah recommends it, so it's gotta be good, right? :)