Cathartic, poignant and sensitive.
Claire and Ondina share a close bond of sisterhood, but couldn’t be more contrasting in personalities. Ondina is the stable, dependable older sister, living a clean life in her home country. Everything in her world is ordered and purposeful, contributing to a centered and contented life. An ocean away is little sister Claire, who left Italy years ago for California to pursue her literary career. Always prone to accidents and impetuous decisions, Claire depends on the steady presence of Ondina in her life, even if it’s only by phone. They may disagree on many things, but their love and commitment to one another has been constant all their lives. So when a terrible health emergency leaves a once vibrant Ondina in a comatose state, Claire puts her life instantly on hold to be with and fight for her big sister. In their youth, the girls forged a pact to preserve the dignity of the other if either ever found themselves in a bedridden, vegetative state. Now, in this worst-case scenario, Claire has to find the inner strength to make the tough decisions on behalf of her beloved sister. But will she be able to make the toughest decision, especially when it comes at such a high cost?
Be prepared to have your heart deep-tissue massaged in Gloria Mattioni’s incredibly powerful novel about the limits of family love, California Sister. There are so many impactful themes and ethical dilemmas, from assisted suicide to the limiting effect of legal bureaucracy, all handled in as practical a manner as the tenuous situation allows. Claire is the movement in this modern story, but the real vault comes when we catch a glimpse into the tortured mind of Ondina. Her mental state is both mesmerizing and terrible, a unique perspective that is difficult to shake from your memory. Free of needless misty-eyed sentiment, this sensible novel deals in more than just emotional platitudes. Instead, Claire struggles with finding a real-world balance between the zeal to save her sister and the desire to honor Ondina’s wishes, wavering endlessly between despair and hope. Gloria Mattioni’s heartrending novel is not the first to walk such emotionally charged ground, but it might just be the best! Cathartic, poignant and sensitive, California Sister explores the fine line where selflessness and selfishness coalesce into a muddled mess, and manages an ending that is more impactful than the sum of its parts.
