Little Sister

March 13, 2017
Gowdy’s (The White Bone) new novel weaves an inventive, spellbinding tale of loss, regret, and redemption that takes a heartfelt look at what it means to be a mother, daughter, and sister. Lately, whenever it rains in Toronto, Rose Bowan leaves her own body and enters the body of another woman. She can hear, see, smell, and touch what Harriet Smith senses, and quickly becomes wrapped up in her life problems. Harriet reminds Rose of her dead sister, Ava; Rose sets out to save Harriet’s troubled life to make up for not being able to save Ava’s. Meanwhile, Rose’s mother is in the early stages of dementia, talking about seeing Ava again, and Rose must nurse her mother through these end times while trying to uncover the reasons why she’s in another woman’s body every time it rains and why she, too, sees Ava in Harriet. A thrilling, captivating exploration of guilt, the female psyche, and the bonds of womanhood.

Starred review from April 15, 2017
The electrifying story of a cinema owner who finds herself living another woman's life whenever it storms.Something strange is happening to Rose Bowan, a woman in her mid-30s who, with her mother, runs the old Toronto repertory movie theater they inherited from Rose's father. Every time a thunderstorm rolls in Rose finds herself transported into the body of another woman, a "small, kinetic" book editor named Harriet Smith, who Rose quickly ascertains is having an affair with a ruggedly sexy married man with whom she works. Harriet's moodily dramatic, mildly dangerous life could not be more different from Rose's. Rose lives with her mother, whose symptoms of dementia are rapidly increasing, and has been dating the same unexciting boyfriend for years, a shorter-than-she-is meteorologist with a lazy eye who is 10 years Rose's senior and resembles the singer Paul Simon. Gowdy (Helpless, 2007, etc.) describes Victor as "much the same" as Rose in that he's "a serious, steady person, a person of strict routines." But Rose's equilibrium is completely upset by her recurring episodes, and she finds herself drawn not only to them, but to searching for Harriet outside of them as well. What's going on? Are Rose's out-of-body (and into another) episodes a side effect of "silent migraines," as Victor posits? Are they extremely and eerily vivid dreams? Or are they something harder to explain? And what, if anything, do Rose's episodes have to do with the childhood death of her younger sister, Ava? Gowdy sucks readers into this suspenseful, supernatural story like a strong wind in a squall. We are right there with Rose as she tries to piece together her disconnected experiences as Harriet into a cohesive picture and to take action on Harriet's behalf. Ultimately, the episodes lead Rose to more clearly understand her own experiences and to act on her own behalf as well. This imaginative, alluring novel from an acclaimed Canadian author unspools steadily and grippingly and may earn Gowdy many new fans stateside.

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April 15, 2017

In her eighth novel (after Helpless), Canadian novelist Gowdy explores the experience of being in someone else's body. Each time a thunderstorm occurs, Rose temporarily loses consciousness and then awakens to discover she is living another woman's life. Though at first startling, these encounters liberate Rose from her own existence--managing the family's repertory cinema, caring for an elderly mother with dementia, and plodding through a lackluster relationship. It also provides an escape from a past haunted by her younger sister's death. She increasingly anticipates the episodes that involve the young woman Harriet. Like Gowdy's other novels and stories, this work depicts an unusual scenario; her critically acclaimed White Bone was told from the perspectives of African elephants. Her tender, and occasionally funny, portrayal of Rose explores the boundaries of the human soul and those responsibilities that weigh upon us as much if not more than it explores the boundaries of the human mind. VERDICT The intrigue about Harriet's own identity will capture readers' attention, but looking forward to her future identities, once the thunderstorms abate, will sustain it. Recommended.--Faye Chadwell, Oregon State Univ., Corvallis

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2017
Rose Bowan leads a small life running her family's theater, caring for the mother that she is heartbreakingly losing to dementia and dating a man she doesn't love. Then the episodes begin. Triggered by thunderstorms, Rose begins entering the body of Harriet Smith, an editor who appears to work in the same city. Each episode gives Rose a no-holds-barred glimpse into some of the most poignant moments of Smith's life, starting with her affair with a married man and the resulting pregnancy. Harriet reminds Rose of her sister, Ava, who died in childhood, and Rose finds herself taking an intense interest in her. Determined to see if Harriet exists outside the episodes, Rose begins a quest to help Harriet, while inadvertently redefining herself. Gowdy (The Romantic, 2003) presents a promising premise and knows her way around dialogue and characters. However, the plot leaves something to be desired, with odd little twists and an ending that gives the impression of a missing final chapter. Overall, an intriguing concept but one that doesn't play out quite right.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)