The Murderer's Daughters
by Randy Susan Meyers
From the moment a
father murders his wife, the lives of his two daughters are changed
forever. One daughter, Lulu, runs for help while the father
attacks the other daughter, Merry. Unwanted and abandoned by
family members, Lulu and Merry struggle to survive in an
orphanage. When they are taken in by an affluent foster family,
the two sisters still cling together for emotional survival. As
the two women grow, each deals differently with the scars left by their
father. Lulu cuts her father off whereas Merry becomes the
caretaker of her father, visiting him in prison regularly, at the
expense of her own self. As the two become women, each
struggles to cope with the imprint made on them by their father's
actions. When their father's parole nears, each sister meets
challenges they never imagined in an action-filled dramatic
encounter.
THE MURDERER'S DAUGHTERS
tells the story of two very different women, how they come together to
protect one another and then individuate. Randy Susan Meyers
gives much psychological depth to her characters, but never at the
expense of excellent storytelling. Each sister is different
despite the bonds that tie them together. Neither feels like a
stereotype. In the author acknowledgments, Randy Susan Meyers
mentions her work with fathers and dedicates this book to the children
who suffer unnoticed and those who help them. What a tribute her
book is precisely because, through characterization, she paints the
portraits of individual characters rather than diagnosing their issues
in a psychologically trivializing manner. Lulu's outrage and
insistence on the act of murder versus domestic violence is refreshing,
especially when the now popular "closure" seems at the expense of moral
indignation. Merry's need for her father's approval is painful
yet realistically written, giving power to her actions at the end
of the novel. THE MURDERER'S DAUGHTERS will appeal to
many readers who have not experienced the exact circumstance of the
characters but other family difficulties in varying degrees because of
the author's insights into personality.
While honoring the children to whom she pays tribute, Randy Susan
Meyers does an excellent job at writing concrete characters with a
detailed specificity whose appeal is
also universal. Various readers might disagree whether or not the
final drama is realistic or not in terms of real life, but as a
development in this story, in the fictional lives of Merry and Lulu,
the last scenes are perfectly chosen. THE MURDERER'S
DAUGHTERS is a riveting story. Lulu and Merry easily become
characters one cares about. While the circumstances they face are
horrifying, their personalities and lives drive the story
forward. Outrage at the actions of their father, not just then
but throughout his imprisonment as he seeks a caretaker for himself, is
well balanced by the author's ability to portray the strength,
determination and brilliance of the daughters. Randy Susan Meyers
does not simplify the scars they carry but neither does she simplify
the force of their character. Each character has a brilliant
force within her and indeed a beauty. An
excellent reading choice!
Publisher: St.
Martin's Press (January 19, 2010)
Reviewed by Merrimon,
Merrimon Book Reviews
Review Courtesy of Amazon Vine
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