The Night Sister

Ever reliable for a thrilling, twisty page-turner, here McMahon fulfills the rich yet all too rarely tackled promise of full-on Gothic horror, rural Vermont style. Tracing an ominous mystery over three generations, intercutting between timelines, the author builds up a steady burn that becomes almost frustratingly compelling before you know it.*vague spoilers* It doesn't become fully explicit just *what kind* of book McMahon is writing until practically the eleventh hour, though...well, let's just say, all the cues were present to indicate that things would play out within a particular set of narrative parameters. But no, the author is 100% playing by her own rules, just plain *goes for it*, and I'm so glad that she did.

First off let me say I LOVE Jennifer McMahon novels! She is spellbinding at creating atmospheric tales, which many times are simply allegories for situations the adolescent minds of the characters in novels cannot comprehend. McMahon’s novels tend to examine how a character is a product of their upbringing and experiences. “The Winter People” was one of her novels that veered from allegories and went for the supernatural. The unexplained phenomenon, family history, and spooky tales was absolutely gorgeous. "The Night Sister" is carrying on in that tone. The story is set in London, Vermont, where The Slaters operate the Tower Motel, a quaint place that attracts a steady clientele during the 1950s. The Slaters have two children, Sylvie and her sister, Rose. The novel opens many years later, in 2013, with Rose's daughter, Amy, in a state of sheer terror and panic. We have no idea why she is so frightened, but the author implies that it is due to her past. McMahon goes back and forth in time, foreshadowing dire events to come. Are monsters real or are they the products of an overactive imagination? "The Night Sister" is suspenseful and scary, often revealing more about the dark side of human nature.Sadly, this is the first novel of McMahon’s that I feel has suffered what I personally call “the Gillian Flynn Syndrome” fantastic start which pulls you in all to lead to an ending that falls short. Maybe I built up the release of this novel too much… I think it was a waste of a read but expected more from such a compelling writer. I still Jennifer McMahon!

Spoilers!! ...This was my first book by this author and I read it in one day. I'll spare you by skipping the plot/character/setting details and get down to it: the ending is disappointingly dull. And I still have many questions, such as: 1. Why wasn't the hypnotism angle ever fully developed/explained? 2. Why is Amy described as behaving as she does the night of the incident (photograph in pocket/gun/reciting creepy poem up the stairs) if L. is locked away/medicated at night? 3. Two young people disappear (Sylvia and her lover), yet the police don't investigate? ...etc. Overall, while the writing was good, the story is frustrating in its predictability and execution. I'd move this one to the bottom of your stack if your reading time is limited.

Bravo, Ms. McMahon! I have read most of Jennifer McMahon's novels, and this one swept me away. It was just like walking back through time, as generations discover long dead secrets that change their entire lives. Through the times when women handled all of the real problems of the world around them and kept all of the deepest secrets. "A reminder of how we all trick ourselves into believing what we need to believe."A stunningly good story. I only put it down so that I could breathe again. Masterful writing, exceptional characters, and a suspenseful plot. My only wish is that it would not end.

This is the 5th Jennifer McMahon book I have read and other than "The Winter People" I have loved them all. I believe "The Night Sisters" is my new favorite. I have to call it unputdownable though when I read that on a book's cover I am more likely than not to pass it by, (unless it is an author I read without regard to other reviews or accolades). This book provided that magic combination of reading joys: I was often too scared to read what came next, and I was always too eager to know what happened to leave the book sit for long. The story deftly revolves through three time-frames: 1955/61 and 1989 and 2013. This technique can ruin a book for me if poorly managed. It is easy to get lost in time -- I hate feeling I have to write everything down to keep track of how the details and characters in one time period relate to the others. Jennifer McMahon does the things needed to make this work. She keeps her characters to a minimum and subtly reminds the reader of how everyone is related across the different time-frames. She also drops in frequent trivia pertinent to each decade. And most importantly, she never loses the core story; she leaves a trail of bread crumbs from one decade to the next and back again. This is a wonderfully creepy and unpredictable trail that I happily followed to the end.

I love this story and can't wait to read more by this author!