I don’t think I had heard of Anne Dunlop, although it’s possible that Amazon tried to recommend some of her books to me. But I saw her novel ‘Cinderella’s Sister’ at a church book sale a few months ago; the cover looked appealing, the blurb sounded interesting, and it was only 50 cents to buy. It sat on my shelf for a while and I read it this week.
The story is narrated by a young woman called Francesca. She’s actually approaching forty in the main part of the story, but there are a lot of flashbacks, giving background to her life. She and her sister Camilla are twins - identical in looks, but quite different in personality. Camilla is quite pushy, self-centred and outgoing; Francesca is quieter, with a deep sense of integrity. Their father is a minister, their mother rather flighty, but determined to raise her daughters to be as much the same as possible.
Their father’s sister Aunt Grace has been important in their lives, particularly Francesca’s; and as the story progresses we learn of tragedies in Grace’s life, and her sons who were packed off to boarding school. Francesca and Camilla have both had more than one romantic relationship, in some cases both involved with the same guy, although not at the same time. But Camilla is married to the rather stodgy James, and Francesca to a builder called Will.
Francesca, we learn, worked as an airline pilot until she got married, and they have three children. Camilla has just one daughter. As children and teens they sometimes pretended to be each other, and managed to fool their mother sometimes, though never Aunt Grace. And when Camilla comes to visit Francesca - who lives in Botswana - they decide on a rather more serious exchange, not intending to fool anybody, but to give Francesca the chance to see Aunt Grace who is terminally ill.
It’s a well-written story, with mostly likeable characters and plenty of interaction. Several of the minor characters are very caricatured, but that doesn’t matter too much, although I never entirely believed in Camilla’s husband James. But Francesca’s husband Will is quite realistic, and Francesca herself comes across as a kind and loving person although I could never quite see her as a pilot.
There are some quite serious issues in the book, including various kinds of illness, and some discussion of different parts of parenting. I didn't understand why Will kept trying to persuade his wife to stop breastfeeding when his children were still babies; nor did I understand why Camilla's daughter was farmed out to an appallingly dull child-minder. But then, wanting to argue with them, I realised they were starting to get under my skin, which is a mark of good writing.
And yet… although I can’t point at anything I didn’t like, the book as a whole somehow didn’t grab me. Possibly because there’s not actually much conflict. Francesca wonders for the whole book what her aunt meant when she said that her niece’s life would change when she was forty, but I never found myself caring much. And what actually transpires didn’t feel quite right - however, it finished the novel nicely, not leaving any holes or untied threads..
It’s the kind of book to read on a flight, or on the beach. It’s undemanding, easy to pick up and continue, easy to put down. I didn’t dislike it, but I can’t imagine I’ll ever want to read it again. If you like character-based women’s fiction and want something light, this isn’t a bad book - but I don’t think I’ll be looking for anything else by this author.
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