The Half Sister

When she was sixteen, Diana left her unhappy family and set out to make a new life. Twenty-five years later, she has arrived. Recently married to Edmund, there are just the two of them living at Wynhope, his family’s historic country home, both happy for the past to be locked away and for the future to be free from responsibility.But when Diana hears that her mother has died, she impulsively asks estranged half-sister Valerie and her nine-year-old son to stay. The night of the funeral, fueled by wine and years of resentment, the sisters argue and a terrible accident occurs. The foundations of a well-ordered life start to crack and the lies begin to surface, one secret after another demanding a voice. And then there’s the boy, watching, waiting.The Half Sister is a profound and haunting portrayal of those who are imprisoned by the past and by their struggle to find the words which will release them.

Reviews of The Half Sister

A markedly assured new voice * * Sunday Times * * Astoundingly assured . . . A brilliant writer * * Observer * * PRAISE FOR THE WELL:I loved this book — Jessie Burton, author of THE MINIATURIST Ripples with mystery and intrigue from the first page * * Daily Mail * * I was gripped by Catherine Chanter's The Well immediately. The beauty of her prose is riveting, the imagery so assured. This is an astonishing debut — SARAH WINMAN, author of WHEN GOD WAS A RABBIT Calls to mind fiction by Margaret Atwood and Michel Faber although stylistically Chanter has developed a strong voice of her own — Anita Sethi * * Observer * * A drought-ridden, riot-threatened country; a sinister religious cult; a child's unsolved murder; and a culture of surveillance. Catherine Chanter's first novel has the ingredients of a dystopian nightmare, yet it's more . . . a literary page-turner * * Independent * * A haunting novel about ordinary people confronted by extraordinary situations * * Elle * * There is undeniable power – both of ideas and execution – here. Fans of the once-upon-a-time, read on * * Guardian * *