Psychic Sisters: the Other Great Travel Read

The other book I read on vacation is Sisterland by Curtis Sittenfield.

I read this one right before reading Gone Girl, and as it happens, both books are about sets of twins in the St. Louis area.  I was like, what are the odds?  It was a little weird but anyhoo.

Sisterland is about twin sisters Violet and Kate, who realize from an early age that they have a gift.  They can feel things, or simply know things, before they happen.  It is odd and overwhelming - not to mention socially awkward - so Kate decides to subdue this gift as much as possible, while Violet decides to strengthen it, and later to milk it for all it's worth.

Then in the aftermath of a small earthquake in the St. Louis area, Violet goes on the local news, then the national news, and predicts a big one to follow.  She even gives the exact date.  The community gradually becomes more chaotic, and so do Kate's emotions.  Violet's prediction brings to the surface all kinds of things: her own gift of "sensing," her support of her sister, her plans for the future, and her reaction to the upcoming earthquake.

Will there even be an earthquake?

The writing is great, of course, but it is a bit different in tone from Sittenfield's other works.  She is known for showing us dark and oddball protagonists, and this time she shows us a pair of sisters navigating the waters of normal daily life (other than the whole psychic thing): kids, husbands, jobs, friends.  If I didn't know this book was by Sittenfield, I would have thought it was by Jodi Picoult.  The style is just so much more "normal" and "mainstream" than Sittenfield's other works.  That said, it is very good and actually very funny.  She knocks it out of the park yet again.

I can't wait for her next book.

Enjoy!