Sister and Brothers by Fiona Palmer Review

Sisters and Brothers

Author: Fiona Palmer

Publisher: Hachette Australia

Release date: September 2018

Pages: 371 pages 

R.R.P: $29.99

Bill, 72, feels left behind after the death of his adored wife. He relies heavily on his only daughter, Sarah.

Sarah, career woman and perfectionist homemaker, struggles to keep up with the Joneses. As her husband grows distant, she has no support network.

Emma, a down-to-earth nurse and busy mother of three, always dreamed of having a sister... But nothing prepares her for the shock results of a routine blood test.

Adam, a successful florist, was raised by his mother. As his dreams start to fall into place, he can't stop thinking about the father he never had. 

Finally, Michelle is trying to build cake-making into a career. But at 46, has she left her run too late to fall in love, have children and find her birth parents?

These five very different people- all connected but separated by secrets from the past- could be facing their futures together. After all, friends will come and go but sisters and brothers are forever...

My Review

Thoughts on the book: Sisters and Brothers is the new novel from one of Australia's beloved bestselling authors, Fiona Palmer.  Bill is a 72 year old man who recently lost his wife and with it it seems his will to really live. His only child, Sarah is trying to keep him involved in her and her families while also trying to keep up with her perfect life. When Bill suddenly recieves a knock at the door one day he and Sarah never would have guessed the events that would happen next. Emma, a nurse, has always known who her parents are, well she thought she did until looking at her dad's charts she discovers that there is no way her parents can be her parents. It turns out her mum is her mum but her dad isn't her dad and so begins the search for looking for her birth father, who as it turns out is Bill. They meet just before he has surgery on his hip and luckily they do because he has a complication during the surgery and after the surgery which leaves him not able to communicate. But this is the first of many surprises that Bill will come across over the book. Just how many secret children does Bill have out there?

Told in multiple points of view and in the present and past, Sisters and Brothers has something for everyone and will tear at your heartstrings so make sure you have those tissues handy.  Thank you so much to Klara from Hachette Australia for sending me a copy of Sisters and Brothers to read and review and also allowing me to send through some questions to Fiona Palmer. I haven't delved too much into adult fiction but lately it seems that's all I've been reading and they have been so good that I've just been picking up more. Sisters and Brothers was so much better than I thought it would be and that saying a lot because when I read about this book I thought it sounded amazing. There was so much to love in this book what with the multiple different characters, the mystery of whose parents where whose and learning just how far some parents will go to have children and for their children. It was certainly eye opening and the story was easy to follow and I must admit that I cheated and looked at the end to see who Michelle's parents were as Michelle was my favourite character. Her attitude to life and her amazing cakes made her chapters in the book the ones that I looked forward to the most despite them being few and far apart. I can't wait to read more by Fiona Palmer and I know I have Secrets Between Friends on my book shelf to read soon. 

Rating: 5/5

Q&A with Fiona Palmer, author of Sisters and Brothers

Congratulations on the release of Sisters and Brothers. What a roller coaster of a story you have taken us on. For those who haven’t read it how would you describe it?

It's a story of finding family, of finding out who you are and who you want to be. It’s a love story and also is heartbreaking at times but it will have you thinking about what makes a family and hopefully you'll fall in love with the characters.

Sisters and Brothers covers many different family elements such as your normal mother and father, adoption, single parent and sperm donor. What inspired you to write Sisters and Brothers?

A news story I came across about a postman who, over the years, had fathered many, many children he didn't know about. This got my mind thinking up scenarios and coupled with my own grandfather’s adoption story, Sisters and Brothers came about. My grandad didn't want to know or find his biological parents at all. But not everyone feels that way. It was fun to explore the possibilities.

We are introduced to so many different and interesting characters. Who was your favourite character to write and are any of the characters based on anyone?

They are all fictional characters, but I'd have to say Emma because I love my Ugg boots and muscle cars. I love her dedication to her family and the fact she's a bit rough around the edges but has a heart of gold. 

I was interested about Michelle’s place in the story while reading. I got my answer in the end but was wondering why she only met her birth mum and not her birth dad? 

Michelle was always planned like that from the very beginning. At one point the publishers toyed with cutting her from the book but I couldn't do that to poor Michelle. I loved her cakes and her clumsiness.

Finally who are some of your go-to authors and what is your favourite book?

Oh I read all my fellow author friends books, that keeps me busy. But I love reading YA. Have a big love for Sarah J Mass and her books. I love any genre (historical, space, fantasy, thrillers) that has romantic elements.