They were Sisters
This is a hugely readable almost unputdownable novel. First published in 1943 - it contains many wonderful domestic details that set it firmly in it's time, the sister's of the title employ maids, make trunk calls, send telegrams, travel first class, and don't work. Despite the 1940's details this novel remains as topical today as it ever was. It concerns domestic violence, and the slow destruction of a once happy woman; Charlotte married to a man who turned out to be a vile bully. The effect this has on their three children is terrible, as over the course of their childhoods they become more and more cowed by their father. Charlotte's sisters, Lucy, dependable, supportive and nurturing is happily, but quietly and childlessly married to William. While Vera, beautiful and shallow, married to Brian who bores her takes little notice of her two young daughters.
This excellent Dorothy Whipple novel re published by Persephone takes a poignant look at what today might be called disfunctional families - the unhappiness of children caught up in the destruction brought about by adults is keenly felt.
Beautifully written, and sympathetically told, it is a truly engrossing read.
Genteel domestic violence
They Were Sisters is a portrait of three sisters and how the choices they make determine their happiness. Lucy marries William and has a happy, companioble relationship. Vera marries a man who worships her and finally bores her so much she has affairs and becomes progressively unhappier. Charlotte marries Geoffrey, a manipulative, tyrannical man who ruins her happiness without ever laying a finger on her. This is a superb depiction of domestic violence and the most impressive part of the book. Charlotte goes from a happy, trusting girl to a cowed, alcoholic, depressed woman, too paralysed to stand up to her husband herself or in defence of her children. I couldn't read They Were Sisters without seeing James Mason's chilling portrayal of Geoffrey in the film. Set in the 30s, when seperation or divorce meant social suicide for a woman, the novel shows just how powerful men could be. As Lucy says, "It was monstrous that such a man as Geoffrey should have such power, but there was no appeal against it." Vera's fate shows just how much of an outcast a divorced woman was. Dorothy Whipple is a wonderful writer, her strength is the emotional truth of her characters. Her novels are great reads, unputdownable. I read They Were Sisters in one long gulp, desperate to find out what happened but not wanting to get to the end.
