Listen to Your Sister by Neena Viel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Listen to Your Sister follows three siblings: Calla, Dre and Jamie. They lost their father to an accident, and their mother wasn’t able to properly care for them.
Calla legally became guardian for Jamie, the youngest, with Dre’s promise that he would help her. Unfortunately, Dre, the middle-child, hasn’t really followed through on those promises. He cares, but doesn’t take it seriously enough.
Jamie, at 16, is a strong-willed and energetic teen, who is getting more difficult to parent by the day. He has many positive attributes, but Calla feels at wits end. She’s only 25-years old, and has already sacrificed so much trying to keep this family together.
Her job is at risk, as she has had to miss so much time due to being called away after Jamie gets up to one mischief, or another. She’s also finding it difficult to maintain any sort of healthy adult relationships.
After Jamie gets into serious trouble at a protest, the siblings must go on the run, taking refuge in a remote cabin. It’s there that Calla’s worst nightmares become reality.
No, seriously. Calla has been plagued by nightmares for years. Horrific dreams in which her brothers die because she’s unable to protect them.
Also, in these dreams, the worst iterations of Calla come to life. Alternate versions of herself that embody the worst things people have said, or assumed, about her; the worst feelings they’ve made her feel. It’s truly frightening stuff.
Now as Calla is pushed to the brink, by her brothers and their unstable circumstances, the things of nightmares are manifested into reality, and they’re after the trio.
Will the siblings be able to come together, move past their past traumas and be able to defeat these nightmares, or will the nightmares win out, ruining them one-by-one?
Admittedly, this is much more Fever Dream than I tend to enjoy, but there was something about how raw and real these characters felt that had me by the throat. I ended up really being drawn into the dream-like qualities.
I loved the topics and themes that Viel explored and look forward to seeing what other Readers think. Speculative stories tend to drum up a wide range of opinions.
The audiobook is very good, with three narrators matching each of the MCs. I definitely recommend that format. It brought this story to life; a great production.
I was really so impressed with the character work. The siblings and their relationships were the star of this show for me. They had been through so much and I love how they related to one another. It’s not all perfect, sunshine and rainbows, but you could feel the love and dedication.
I feel like this has some great Social Horror aspects as well, I just hope the right Readers end up picking it up. The cover is giving very Haunted House vibes, and while there is a creepy cabin, it’s much more of a Literary Horror-feel than that cover may lead you to believe.
Regardless, I had a fantastic time with this one. It’s hard-hitting and memorable. I’m really looking forward to seeing what this author comes up with in the future. I’m hoping for more along these lines.
Thank you to the publisher, St. Martin’s Griffin and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. I would recommend this to Horror Readers.
This is very Feminine Rage with a Twist. We love that.
