Shred Sisters

A Novel

By: Betsy Lerner

Narrated by: Rebecca Lowman

From Betsy Lerner, celebrated author of The Bridge Ladies, comes a wry and riveting debut novel about family, mental illness, and a hard-won path between two sisters.

It is said that when one person in a family is unstable, the whole family is destabilized. Meet the Shreds. Olivia is the sister in the spotlight until her stunning confidence becomes erratic and unpredictable, a hurricane leaving people wrecked in her wake. Younger sister Amy, cautious and studious to the core, believes in facts, proof, and the empirical world. None of that explains what’s happening to Ollie, whose physical beauty and charisma mask the mental illness that will shatter Amy’s carefully constructed life.

As Amy comes of age and seeks to find her place—first in academics, then New York publishing, and through a series of troubled relationships—every step brings collisions with Ollie, who slips in and out of the Shred family without warning. Yet for all that threatens their sibling bond, Amy and Ollie cannot escape or deny the inextricable sister knot that binds them.

Spanning two decades, Shred Sisters is an intimate and bittersweet story exploring the fierce complexities of sisterhood, mental health, loss, and love. If anything is true it’s what Amy learns on her to self-acceptance: No one will love you more or hurt you more than a sister.

It started out so well and then...

25% of the book is solid. The first part. Then it becomes a far fetched, spoiled detail of who bonketh who. Olivia's mental illness, if not her power to infilterate the rich and famous, is legit. The rest is disappointing. Still, keeps you engaged half the time. So 3.5 out of 5.

got better and better

the first few chapters I thought it lacked depth, seemed like a commonplace theme/ story. but I found myself not only wanting to know what would happen but caring about the characters, empathizing with them, especially Amy but also the others. it's a hopeful story in spite of sad events. narration good!! thumbs up!

The story…is it true?

I valued the insights into bipolar disorder and the mental health system. I found the narrator’s tone mostly flat and irritating. I think I would’ve liked the book much better in print.

Compelling

Beautifully written and read. All the complexity of the sister relationship with the mental health monsters looming over

Forgive yourself

The main character, Amy struggles with life and difficulty in decision making. I felt a tremendous amount of empathy for her as the story tells you why. Amy's parents sole focus was on her sister,who suffered mental illness. They had no idea they were injuring Amy repeatedly. Her sisters behavior left Amy scarred. In the end, forgiveness is the healing balm for Amy. Most important, self forgiveness propels her try again at life. I loved this book. I flew through it in no time. I highly recommend it.