Book Review: Readings

A Tale of Two Sisters

by Anna Maxted

Dutton, 356 pp., $24.95

Fans of Anna Maxted's work will know that the formula for her brainy chick-lit deviates from the stereotypical norm. Yes, there is romantic love lost and found in her oeuvre, but Maxted specializes in making her heroines hit life's most rock-bottom moments – the death of a parent, infidelity, eating disorders – and charts their journeys on the way back to emotional terra firma.

A Tale of Two Sisters is a pretty straightforward title, as it follows the infertility struggles of two women – the joyless divorce lawyer Cassie and her "slightly plumper" sister, Lizbet. The description of Lizbet as "plump" inspires an initial cringe, as the usually compassionate Maxted treated a chunky character with typical British fat-hating nastiness in her previous novel, Being Committed. However, Lizbet's lard isn't really an issue here, until she starts starving herself in the wake of a miscarriage. Cassie finds herself in a dead marriage, yet trying for a baby, while Lizbet trashes her own blissful, long-term shack-up in the aftermath of losing her own child-to-be. There is, of course, no small measure of soap-opera-style dramatic misunderstandings alongside a heaping portion of Maxted's signature wit, and despite some shakiness in the execution, Maxted's fifth novel is a satisfying examination of the challenges of achieving motherhood.

The narrative is often disjointed, with awkward flashbacks and leaps into the future that leave the reader suffering from confusion and narrative whiplash. Her London-centric slang and cultural references founder without context (many readers of contemporary British literature know what Marks & Spencer is, but few will know that a suit from "the high-street shops" is akin to Old Navy attire). These moderately distracting stylistic problems aside, A Tale of Two Sisters is an incredibly moving story of terrific loss, acceptance, betrayal, and reconciliation. Avid fans will be unsurprised to learn that the last few pages are particularly tear-soaked, so it will be wise to read the novel's conclusion privately.

There are no murder mysteries to be solved, no inheritance-related catfights; there is just life, which we all know can be a bitch. Maxted is brave enough to take those struggles on in her novels and capitalizes on the luxury of the storybook ending so many of us crave.