Book Details:
SISTER ACTS
by Sharon Adelman Reyes
Category: Adult Fiction (18+), 448 pages
Genre: Women’s Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: Lake Grove Press
Release date: August 2025
Content Rating: PG: Very mild profanity, mild romantic scene with some kissing.
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Synopsis:
Four sisters. Four clashing personalities. Four different ways of living in the world.
Sister Acts explores the impact of loss on three generations of one family –- in particular, the degree to which, to paraphrase Phyllis Chesler, women are capable of inhumanity toward other women. At times heartbreaking and at times hilarious, the novel illuminates the resilience that can come from knowing one’s roots and the estrangement that can result from trying to escape them.
Sophie Malinsky’s sudden death leaves her Left-wing Jewish family in disarray. Rather than bringing her young daughters closer, the loss creates a tangle of jealousies and recriminations. Rose, the eldest, recognizing their father’s limitations, at first tries to become a surrogate mother for her three sisters. But they resent her efforts, each one channeling – or repressing – her grief in a different way. In the absence of Sophie’s love and guidance, two sisters lose their way. Naomi moves to Mexico and tries to shed her Jewish identity. Betti ends up in Nashville pursuing a dream, never realized, of stardom as a rockabilly musician. A fourth sister, Marla, strives for dominance from an early age. Her jealousy of Rose leads to a toxic rivalry that persists well into middle age, affecting their own daughters as well. Lurking behind the conflicts is a family secret that Sophie had planned, but failed, to reveal. Decades later, when Rose finally uncovers it, the Malinskys’ saga finally comes into sharp focus.
Why write?
Why write? For me, writing is like indelible ink laid down on the fabric of our lives. Fiction in particular is a way of discovering who we really are and what we truly think. Writing a novel gives me a feeling that I cannot be silenced and that my ideas will always have an audience. My evolution as a writer is also the story of my life. Sister Acts is the latest chapter. It’s not a memoir – the characters are fictional – but it does draw on the experience of families in which early loss leads to lifelong dysfunction.
As a child, I wrote for the sheer joy of creative invention. In high school, I took a turn towards self-expression, usually through poetry. When I launched my career as an educator, I began to write stories drawing on my observations of children, youth, and family dynamics. Later, as a college professor, my writing took on an academic tone. (Thankfully, that didn’t last long.) Looking for ways to bring deeper meaning to the printed page, I began to explore the genre of narrative research through observations and interviews. From there it was a short step to creative non-fiction, telling true stories using literary techniques. Once again writing was enjoyable!
Finally, I formed a writing group with a non-competitive circle of women engaged in diverse projects. At the time, I was the only non-fiction writer, exploring educational themes using journalistic techniques. Soon I became rather envious of my fiction-writing companions, who seemed to be having more fun with the printed word. Why not join them? I thought. So I took the plunge and began writing short stories. It was addictive! It took a few years, but those stories formed the nucleus of a novel that would become Sister Acts.
Meet Author Sharon Adelman Reyes:
Sharon Adelman Reyes is a writer, editor, and equestrienne in Oregon, living on the slopes of an extinct volcano and looking out on an active one. During a lengthy professional career, she has published various works drawing on her experiences in multicultural teaching. Sister Acts is her first novel.
connect with the author: goodreads
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