This debut novel covers some disturbing and harrowing issues, post traumatic stress and domestic violence to name but two however it does not shy away from them. The main character is flawed but I took to her and was sympathetic to her attempts to get those around her onside. In three parts, each is fast paced and packed with twists turns and 'didn't see that coming' moments. An excellent debut that left me marking down the author as one to watch out for. 
Many thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

What an amazing read, I was gripped and finished it within 24 hours, every time I put it down, I literally couldn't wait to pick it back up- it's safe to say I devoured it!!

A very simple plot, a broken family, pain, torment, anguish and secrets. A family that is scattered and disjointed, two sisters at war, both fighting demons.

The twist in this book I didn't guess, but it worked, and it brought the story together so well! I was shocked, horrified and yet not altogether surprised!  

Brilliant book, totally hooked, recommended without doubt! 

Thanks Net-galley and Nuala Elwood!

This is an intriguing story about a family that is haunted by the loss of a child, Sally's and Kate's little brother. Even as adults, the misery is still there, keeping up with the day to day things in life of both these women. And on top of that, there is even more pain.

I was captivated by this book. The characters were well built, as a reader I felt it easy to step into Kate's shoes first and later relate to Sally. There is a balanced amount of twist and turns, leaving the reader waiting for the story to unfold without being bored on the one hand or disturbed by a too high pace on the other.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book.

Kate Rafter is a war correspondent recently returned from Syria to the UK in order to get her family affairs in order, following the death of her mother. Kate is virtually estranged from her sister, Sally, but her brother-in-law, Paul, helps her navigate through the tough time she has returning to her memories of Herne Bay and her childhood home. 

Kate is having some mental health issues but she becomes distracted and increasingly concerned about activities in the house next door; a young Syrian woman appears to be suffering at the hands of an unseen abuser. Increasingly, to her own detriment, Kate feels she must uncover the truth.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book; the story was gripping, as was the way the narrative slowly unfolded. I frequently thought I could predict what would happen next and was then pulled in a completely different direction. For the first half of the novel, the story is told from Kate’s perspective; she isn’t always a likeable protagonist but it’s impossible not to feel empathy for her because of the sheer amount she has seen and suffered.
When Kate leaves Herne Bay, the narrative continues from her sister’s point of view; a woman struggling with alcohol addiction predominantly to numb her own feelings of loss.
There is a dramatic and, for me, surprising conclusion and I admit to being gripped throughout.

My one hesitation in recommending the novel is the sheer amount of trigger warnings that should accompany it. As these could constitute spoilers, I have listed them in this final parargraph, so they can be avoided if necessary. Triggers include: sexual assault, death of a child, death of a parent, alcoholism, violent death, PTSD, psychiatric evaluation and confinement and violet assault.

Happy reading!

This book for a first novel grabs your attention from the first page. There are three parts to the story: the first is narrated by Kate, a war reporter who has just returned from the hell of Syria.  Is she really seeing things or is it just her imagination?

The second part is narrated by her sister Sally who is an alcoholic and deals with her relationship within the family dynamics.

The third and final part is where it all comes together, the twists and turns make this a terrific read.

This is a powerful book. PTSD is much more prevalent than we realise especially for those who's job takes them into danger.
Kate is a war correspondent who has recently completed a trip to Aleppo. If that is not enough to disturb her sleep and equilibrium, she is heartbroken after the end of her relationship with Chris.

She returns to the UK after hearing of her mother's passing. She needs to visit her former home in Kent to sort our her affairs and which holds many difficult and unhappy memories.

Her younger sister, Sally, is not coping well at all. Her only solace is alcohol.

The book explores the effect that a dysfunctional family can have on the children. The conflict and fear that results from warring parents. Their mother took the punishment meted out by their father, Dennis.

Sally's husband Paul, goes to see Kate on a regular basis and admits that he can no longer get through to her. Their daughter Hannah, has left home and is not speaking to her mother. Both of these facts bother Kate but she is powerless to know what to do.

During her time at her former childhood home, Kate is beset by nightmares and wonders if she is losing her sanity.

I cannot reveal more without spoilers, but I would highly recommend this book as a great read. I wasn't sure where this book would take me but I was not disappointed.

It is difficult not to like Kate and her sister Sally. Despite their upbringing being identical, they have dealt differently with challenges in life. Paul, Sally's husband is another matter.

I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are all my own and completely unbiased. My thanks to Netgalley for this opportunity.

My Sister's Bones is an unusual psychological thriller in that the novel tackles mental health issues, alcoholism and PTSD in particular. This added to the tension and my sympathy for  Kate, the main character war reporter. 

After her mother's death Kate returns to the UK from Syria where she has been witness to horrific events.  Her family was a dysfunctional one with a drunken father who beat her and her mother, his anger fuelled by the untimely death of Kate's young brother. Her sister, Sally escaped punishment by pandering to their father but in adulthood has followed his footsteps by becoming an alcoholic herself. Her husband, Paul, has supported Sally but at the time of Kate's return has more or less given up on his wife.

My Sister's Bones has many plot threads but the characters are well drawn and the twists and turns make  it a page turner. While it is a complex novel and quite dark it is well written and very readable. I did find the final twist in the story a little OTT myself and I did guess what happened to Kate and Sally's brother, but I would still recommend this book to lovers of psychological drama. I am sure it will be a huge success.

With thanks to Netgalley and Penguin for the opportunity to read and review My Sister's Bones.

We meet Kate Rafter, a successful war journalist posted to Syria, as she is being questioned by a police psychologist, and know that all is not well in her world. After having witnessed atrocities most of us cannot even fathom, she returns to her childhood home to settle her affairs after her mother’s sudden death. Having broken off contact with her alcoholic sister Sally a long time ago, she reluctantly gives in to her brother-in-law’s pleading to go and see Sally, in a last ditch effort to help her seek help for her addiction problem. But Kate is in no fit state to face up to the past of her dysfunctional family and the childhood trauma that has damaged her sister and made Kate herself flee her home for good. Suffering from severe PTSD from an incident in Syria, she still experiences terrible flashbacks and insomnia. Worst of all, she keeps seeing the figure of a young boy standing in her mother’s garden at night, calling out to her for help.  Nobody believes her that the child exists, and the neighbours are close to having a restraining order issued after Kate has knocked on their door to save the fictional child. Is Kate going crazy? Or is the past trying to catch up with her?

Whilst I was immediately drawn to the premise of the story and thought that Ellwood got her novel off to an intriguing start, there were parts where I really struggled with this book. Kate’s battle with PTSD is sensitively drawn, and it is obvious that the author has had a personal connection to the topic. I especially liked the way Kate’s two worlds collide, time and time again, as she is confronted with the vast contrast between our sheltered lives and those of the people in Syria she has come to love. Her war experiences read like the harrowing events they must have been, but also explore the human side of the Syrian crisis, through the eyes of a war reporter. With the effects of PTSD, Kate is in no fit state to deal with her own traumatic past and abuse at the hands of a violent, alcoholic father, or to try to solve her sister’s substance abuse problems. Ellwood does a good job at portraying Kate’s fraying mental state, the flashbacks haunting her, her emotional baggage from Syria, and her denial that anything is wrong with her, which makes her an unreliable narrator and gives unlimited potential to interpret the events unfolding in the novel. Unfortunately I did not feel that this potential was reached, finding the final twist much too contrived and unbelievable. I often get the impression that authors these days are trying to outdo one another by finding that “shocking twist no one will see coming” at the expense of the story. We already have all the elements of a strong story with Kate’s PTSD and family past, but Ellwood tries to pack even more into the novel, to a point where it all becomes too much to ring true. I will not give away any spoilers for those who enjoy the “shocking twist”, only to say that I didn’t – for me it was a bit too crass, when the subtle hints of Kate’s mental state could have offered so much more in the way of psychological suspense. It was like a drum roll for the big finale, which only resulted in an eye roll from me.

I was also a bit flummoxed by the sudden change in voice half way through the book (I have a preview copy only, not the final published version), when a part of the story is suddenly being told from Sally’s viewpoint. Both POVs are in the first person narrative, but there is no warning that the perspective has changed, and the style of the narrative remains the same, so it took me some time to work out what was going on. I am hoping that the publisher will address that in the final published novel. 

Altogether, whist I enjoyed parts of the story, I found My Sister’s Bones to be a rather depressing read with lots of damaged, miserable characters and a mountain of issues, but without a redeeming finale that would have made my reading journey worthwhile. Unfortunately not the right book for me at this time, though I think that Ellwood has all the right ingredients to tell a good story and I look forward to reading more from her in future.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free electronic copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

MY SISTER’S BONES
by
NUALA ELLWOOD


	Kate returns from Syria, where, as a successful war reporter, she has witnessed too many of the horrific scenes resulting from such carnage. She did not get back in time for the funeral of her beloved Mum’s but now must set to and clear out the family home. A place where memories of her alcoholic abusive father knocking seven bells out of herself and her mother, take over her mind, disturb her sleep and cause nightmares which fight for supremacy over the ones of the  carnage of Aleppo.  Dreadful thoughts all hammering away in her skull.   The screams of Nidal, a little boy, to whom she became close, before witnessing his murder are the worst, wakening her suddenly, frightened and shaking.   But are these screams due to Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome or could there be something dreadful  taking place in the house next door? No one else appears to hear the cry of a child or even catch the same glimpses of him that Kate sees in her mother’s garden? Is her mind playing tricks or are the experts correct and she is close to being certified as a severe sufferer of PTSD?   The interview with Dr. Shaw deftly portrays the mind games playing between the consultant and the patient.  The voices and the battle noises are so forceful in Kate’s head she has to use all her will to answer calmly the doctor’s questions. 	Sally, Kate’s sister is an alcoholic, with a huge chip on her shoulder, rejecting all overtures of peace from her sister while Paul, her husband, is showing his sister in law unfailing kindness and support, there for her at every opportunity.
	  Nuala Ellwood is related to war reporters and this first hand knowledge of the ordeals associated with such work gives great depth to this excellent novel. The result is a gripping tale grabbing the reader from the first page.  The characters are superb and readers will immediately empathise with each and every one, they are just so believable. A harrowing story but peppered with tender scenes written in a lyrical prose that provide a contrast to the harshness of some of the action. 
	  As Kate crosses the graveyard towards her mother’s spot she reflects on the youth of so many of the names  on the stones and how their demise must have affected the families.  (NB She enters the graveyard clutching a bunch of iris but it is sweet peas that she lays at her mother’s stone!)
	An astounding debut novel from a new writer.   The writing is tight and vivid and the book moves on at a steady pace with intriguing twists and turns. Kate is a fascinating character, courageous and vulnerable, whose experiences abroad have in now way hardened her, rather she is a woman of compassion, sad at the loss of her mother, and for  losses in her professional life. 
	A thought provoking book with many strands that gradually and neatly are drawn together to create an astoundingly unexpected and nail biting finale. There is a chilling quote from Kate towards the end of the  book which has remained in my mind. It is  ‘we’re all of us, every day, just a hair’s breadth away from evil’.  

Sheila A. Grant

Personal Read   *****
Group read        *****

An absolute page turner and a ending that will take your breath away really enjoyed this novel highly recommended

Still sitting in shock. This book is brilliant. I did not foresee the ending at all. The change in narration and the twists and the turns in the plot are all brilliantly written. The storyline is written so cleverly that the ending totally blindsided me. I will remember and recommend this book for a long time.

My Sister’s Bones by Nualla Ellwood

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley via Kindle in return for an honest review.

Oh my goodness?  What a brilliant book.  There is absolutely no way I would have guessed how this would turn out.

Kate Rafferty (a war journalist) returns from Syria and returns to her Mother’s house following her death.  Here she is plagued by memories from her time in war zones and suffers from nightmares from what she has witnessed.  It is left to you, the reader, to follow her on this journey to discover what is real, what is imagined and what is memory.

Really well constructed plot, with fantastic characters and totally, totally surprising.

Many thanks Ms Ellwood.
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley via Kindle in return for an honest review.

I loved this book, seemed a little depressing at times especially with all the alcoholism portrayed so if you are looking for a cheery book this is not for you. For me there were lots of twists and turns with an unexpected ending so suited me down to the ground

If you're feeling so uncontrollably happy that you're in danger of doing a Tom Cruise sofa bounce and need to come down, this is the book for you.

I don't know what I found the most depressing - the relentless misery of the story itself, or the page after page of a war reporter's repetative flashbacks, which were about as interesting as somebody else's dream. When I got to the last third of the book, where the 'thriller' part of the story finally begins, it was such an incredible relief that I almost felt it was good. But only in the way taking a stone out of a pair of too-tight shoes would feel good.

The only positive thing I can say about this book is that it has a good, intriguing title. Unfortunately that's all it is, and has no relevance to the story. The only mention of bones was when an injured bird approaches the protagonist who, instead of taking the poor creature to a wildlife rescue place, decides to 'put it out of its misery' and beats it to death; failing, time after time, to deliver a fatal blow, leading to lots of blood, screaming, and splintered bones.

It's a shame because this author can write - by that I mean she can put words together in an intelligent, readable way. However, this talent is completely overshadowed by this dire and depressing story.