Reviewed: “The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets” by Molly Fader

There will always be something special to me about Molly Fader’s The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets because it is the first book I’ve read that is set where I live – something that’s stumped me on almost every yearlong readathon I’ve attempted. This book takes place in northwest Pennsylvania on the shores of Lake Erie. In the house where I spent my childhood, we walked to the shores of Lake Erie. The McAvoy sisters do their grocery shopping at Giant Eagle, where I do mine. It was like reading about home.

Even the part that describe the summer humidity rolling off the lake as something like “a wet washcloth on your face all day” (I forgot to write down the exact words but the sentiment is absolutely perfect.)!

But I digress about where I live, on to the book itself –

The McAvoys have secrets, secrets that have driven one sister (Lindy) away and driven one sister (Delia) to do the things she never wanted to do. The book is a build-up to those secrets, always hinting at what’s to come. The things that come might not entirely be worth the wait, at least in that the book spends so much time focusing on the McAvoy FAMILY and how they interact with each other but the reveal of secrets sees them all in separate places, not wholly with family.

But it is a testament to what family will do for each other, even apart. And that makes the whole book worth reading.

It is the story of a messed up/entirely normal family in a small town where everybody knows everybody’s business and one bad choice can follow a person for a lifetime. It is the story of how there are people you can rely on to forgive that bad choice, to stand beside you when you feel like you’re most alone. It is the story of forgiving and healing, across generations and physical space.

It is the story of sisters who are truly the best of friends, no matter what the passage of time does to them.

As a sister with a sister, I identify with Lindy and Delia on levels I didn’t expect to. And that’s the second thing that will make this book stick with me for a long time. I’m going to reread it one day too!

I received a copy of The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets through NetGalley and Graydon House in exchange for an honest and original review. All thoughts are my own.