Listen to Your Sister (Book Review)
What does it mean to be a sister of Black brothers? To look out for them, protect them, sacrificing pieces of yourself for their benefit. In Neena Viel's debut horror novel, Listen to Your Sister, she dives into the nuances of those very questions. And not without some frightful imagery to keep you on the edge of your seat. Viel takes readers on a journey of acceptance and reconciliation that leaves you changed for the better.
Calla is the oldest sister of two brothers who have used up everything she's had to offer the world since they were born. When Jaime (the youngest) and Dre (the middle brother) are up against some heavy consequences and they enlist Calla to help them getaway for awhile. While hiding away at a cabin in the woods (the perfect place for a ghost story), their past catches up to them and they must all sacrifice something this time.
Though this is Viel's first novel, it doesn't feel like it. Her writing is poetic and emotionally grounding. She has a way of bringing you into the story and leaving you there to fighting for your life alongside this trio. It's atmospheric, creepy, often crawling under your skin. In the nightmarish world she's created, nothing makes sense; which isn't always a good thing. I found myself questioning, and re-reading some scenes because it wasn't all that clear what exactly was happening and to whom. Calla's character takes female rage to a new level. Jaime is that "knuckle head" kid who you want to shake until they understand. Dre has middle child syndrome. I would've liked to spend more time with our characters before we got in the thick of the plot but Viel's storytelling is well worth experiencing.
Listen to Your Sister is a love letter to Black women, especially the older/only sister. It's a transformative journey, a reckoning of sorts. I cried, laughed, and felt the weight of Viel's words. I'll be talking about this one for awhile.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5