Set in rural Tasmania from the 1920s to the 1990s, The Sisters' Song traces the lives of two very different sisters. One for whom giving and loving are her most natural qualities and the other who can never forgive and forget.
As small children, Ida loves looking after her younger sister, Nora, but when their beloved father dies in 1926, everything changes. The two young girls move in with their grandmother who is particularly encouraging of Nora's musical talent. Nora eventually follows her dream of a brilliant musical career, while Ida takes a job as a nanny and their lives become quite separate.
The two sisters are reunited when Nora's life takes an unwelcome direction and she finds herself, embittered and resentful, isolated in the Tasmanian bush with a husband and children.
Ida longs passionately for a family and when she marries Len, she hopes to soon become a mother. Over time, it becomes clear that this is never likely to happen. In Ida's eyes, it seems that Nora possesses everything in life that could possibly matter yet she values none of it.
Set in rural Tasmania over a span of seventy years, the strengths and flaws of motherhood are revealed through the mercurial relationship of these two very different sisters. The Sisters' Song speaks of dreams, children and family, all entwined with a musical thread that binds them together.
About the Author
Louise Allan is a recipient of the Tina Kane Emergent Writer Award for 2018. The Sister's Song is her first novel and in manuscript it was awarded a Varuna residential fellowship in 2014 and shortlisted for the City of Fremantle-TAG Hungerford Award. When first published in 2017, The Sister's Song was acclaimed for its perception and evocation of the period and the sibling relationship.
Louise is a former doctor with a passion for music who grew up in Tasmania but has since moved to Perth where she lives with her husband, four children and two dogs.
Industry Reviews
'This debut novel from a gentle and perceptive new voice in Australian fiction is deeply evocative of a bygone era ... This is a story we live through on every page which underlines the painful reality of history repeating itself through generations but delivers a powerful and cathartic final message.' The Australian Women's Weekly
'Affecting, heartwarming and devastating...a brilliant insight into family relationships, history repeating itself through the generations and the unparalleled bond of siblings.' Herald-Sun
'Well written and very evocative, this poignant novel examines the complexity of motherhood and the powerful bond of sisters.' Canberra Weekly
'The two sisters are vividly contrasted and other characters add colour and sensitivity to the story...It's an engrossing read to follow their fortunes and tragedies.' Good Reading
'The characters are well drawn and the complex relationships between the women perceptively observed.' The Listener
