Barbara Delinsky has written several novels (non-fiction and fiction). Her background in sociology comes in handy when writing novels focused on family dynamics and situations. As mentioned in her biography, we know these characters, we are them - character-driven studies of marriage, parenthood, sibling rivalry, and friendship.
I’m a marathon runner, follow the running community and Olympic level athletes… I couldn’t put this book down, wanting to know see how the characters would develop throughout the story.
The mother, Kathryn, has strong reactions related to Robin’s heart attack. Her immediate reaction is blame – this would not have happened if…. Molly, the youngest daughter, has her own opinions, emotions and struggles with the idea of her sister being brain dead. Kathryn is trying to make the right decisions from the view of a mother and Molly is trying to represent her sister, often saying ‘what would Robin want’.
The story begins to unfold when Robin’s journals are found. The family begins to see a side to Robin that they were unaware and her views and values start to surface as the days go by. Without giving away any details, the family finds a way to come to terms with the accident.
A complex story with each family member struggling to accept Robin's fate. There are several storylines surrounding Robin’s hospital room to keep the reader engaged and wanting to know more.
Type: Fiction, 368 pages, hardcover
Readers Guide: Yes
Scheduled for release February 17, 2009
Synopsis:
I’m a marathon runner, follow the running community and Olympic level athletes… I couldn’t put this book down, wanting to know see how the characters would develop throughout the story.
The mother, Kathryn, has strong reactions related to Robin’s heart attack. Her immediate reaction is blame – this would not have happened if…. Molly, the youngest daughter, has her own opinions, emotions and struggles with the idea of her sister being brain dead. Kathryn is trying to make the right decisions from the view of a mother and Molly is trying to represent her sister, often saying ‘what would Robin want’.
The story begins to unfold when Robin’s journals are found. The family begins to see a side to Robin that they were unaware and her views and values start to surface as the days go by. Without giving away any details, the family finds a way to come to terms with the accident.
A complex story with each family member struggling to accept Robin's fate. There are several storylines surrounding Robin’s hospital room to keep the reader engaged and wanting to know more.
Type: Fiction, 368 pages, hardcover
Readers Guide: Yes
Scheduled for release February 17, 2009
Synopsis:
At 27, Molly Snow is the youngest of three siblings. Feisty but hard-working, she has always been overshadowed by her older sister, Robin, an elite marathoner who is favored to shine at the upcoming Olympic trials. When Robin suffers a heart attack during a training run and fails to regain consciousness, her family is devastated.
As Molly's parents fold under the heartbreak and her brother retreats into the cool reserve that is threatening his marriage, Molly is the one left standing. By default, she is thrust into the role of family spokesperson, not only with friends and the media, but at Snow Hill, the family's hugely successful tree and plant nursery. More crucially, Molly becomes her sister's voice when Robin can' t speak for herself. In the process, she finds her own voice.
While My Sister Sleeps is more than a coming-of-age story. Taking place over six days, this novel explores a family in crisis, peeling away layers of relationships to expose one startling truth after another. Mother to daughter, sister to sister - it is a story of rising to a challenge and making hard decisions, then loving enough to let go.
Reviews:
Delinsky delves deeper into the human heart and spirit with each new novel – Cincinnati inquirer.
Delinsky delves deeper into the human heart and spirit with each new novel – Cincinnati inquirer.