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Wednesday 7 February 2018

Review: The Endsister

Olly and Dave Outhwaite are happy in their small cottage in the Australian countryside, although their living quarters are tight, and so is money. 

Else the eldest plays violin. Clancy is deeply connected to the natural world around him. Twins Oscar and Finn are inseparable with personal identity beginning to be an issue for them. The youngest is four year old Sibbi. Wild and free, they all seem contented to drift through life without change.

When they inherit a house in London from their aunt, they see an opportunity for new beginnings, additional space, and moving forward with more comfort than they had.

Outhwaite House on Mortlake Road has two long-term inhabitants, Almost Annie and Hardly Alice; two ghosts that haven’t been able to move on. 

When disharmony envelopes the entire family, and Sibbi becomes contrary, pale and listless, a second opportunity presents itself as the solution to a seemingly unsolvable problem.

Bewitching lyrical prose has the reader captured right from the start. This ghostly story is about family bonds, finally discovering who you really are, and recognizing that happiness is always where the heart is.

Penni Russon is a much-loved Australian writer that creates unusual, riveting novels that never disappoint. She uses language like a sculptor uses his tools. This beautifully crafted novel had me in my seat till the last word.

Title: The Endsister
Author: Penni Russon
Publisher: Allen & Unwin, $16.99
Publication Date: 24 January 2018
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 978141750652
For ages: 10 - 14
Type: Middle Fiction