It took me a little while to get into The Cherry Robbers, but once I did I could hardly put it down. Sarai Walker did a masterful job weaving the story of ill-fated Chapel sisters. While told from the point of view of Iris Chapel, the depth of each sister's character was well developed.
In Iris's voice we learn the story of the Chapel family, who made their money in firearm manufacturing, but suffer something of a curse in the maternal line that is carried through women. While others believe that Belinda, the matriarch of the family, is crazy only Iris can hear the wisdom in what others see as Belinda's rantings. Iris tries to save her sisters from their fate, but she cannot and in the end she can only save herself by reinventing herself.
The story is told by an elderly Iris who writes her story under threat of being revealed by a journalist as the only surviving Chapel sister. Sarai Walker blends the style of a gothic ghost story with the feminist story of a woman taking control of her life to tell a brilliant story.
In Iris's voice we learn the story of the Chapel family, who made their money in firearm manufacturing, but suffer something of a curse in the maternal line that is carried through women. While others believe that Belinda, the matriarch of the family, is crazy only Iris can hear the wisdom in what others see as Belinda's rantings. Iris tries to save her sisters from their fate, but she cannot and in the end she can only save herself by reinventing herself.
The story is told by an elderly Iris who writes her story under threat of being revealed by a journalist as the only surviving Chapel sister. Sarai Walker blends the style of a gothic ghost story with the feminist story of a woman taking control of her life to tell a brilliant story.