The story is told from the perspective of Beatrice, and is, in a way, written as one big letter to her missing sister. I struggled to get into this one. I was never in a hurry to get back to reading the story and I often found at times I was reluctant to read it. There was a fair bit of repetitiveness which really slowed the pace of the novel down and I felt that every little movement or life event was documented and probably didn't need to be. I think Rosamund Lupton did convey Beatrice's grief and loss very well, and I did feel a level of empathy for her. I'm still uncertain how I feel about the ending. It was certainly unexpected and did change my perspective of the story, though I felt a bit let down as well. Unfortunately this one didn't really work for me and my rating is more like 2.5 stars.

Sister is a psychological thriller from the viewpoint of Beatrice. Beatrice communicates to her missing sister Tess through a letter or diary-like entries. The plot is centered around her attempts to find out the truth about Tess's disappearance. I loved this book. Another reviewer described it as a "crime fiction novel for people who don't like crime fiction" and I agree with that description. I've read a few crime fiction novels and really enjoyed them (e.g. the Millenium trilogy) but it can be a difficult genre to get right. I always feel overwhelmed when entering the crime section of a bookstore or library, faced with hundreds of books that look and sound the same. However, Sister stood out to me because it has a beautiful cover and not one you would associated with a crime investigation. It's serene as opposed to bold and bloody. I would have assumed it was more of a family drama novel and I believe this novel bridges the gap between the two genres.Sister is an extremely easy and captivating read - I particularly enjoyed the ethical debates concerning medicine - and I'm not surprised that it was on the UK bestsellers list for so long.edit 2012: I wrote this initially to be a 'personal review' so it's not very good, but I'm sure my enthusiasm for the book still comes across ;)

My mum always describes mediocre films and books as quite entertaining or diverting. This book quite simply sums up both these statements; it was ok and it did keep me entertained for a couple of days, but it is no great work of fiction.The story revolves around Beatrice who, once she discovers that her sister has gone missing, flies to England from New York in order to find her. When her sister, Tess, is found dead, Bea is certain that there is far more to the case than at first meets the eye. Tess' family and the police close the case as suicide and try to move on with their lives, coming to terms with some revelations and self questioning, however, Bea takes it upon herself to discover the real truth. Single-minded in her search for a killer, Bea moves into Tesss apartment, and into her life (including wearing her clothes) and throws herself headlong into finding her sisters murderer. Everyone thinks she is mad (which quite frankly she probably is), but Bea knows her sister would never have killed herself voluntarily, even under incredible tragic circumstances.The book is written in the style of many letters and Bea is writing to her sister, as well as reminiscences and self reflections. The gaps in the plot may be huge and the ending is quite unbelievably awful (in my humble opinion) however, as a diverting read and a bit of escapism, you can forgive the author and thank her for the ride. The writing is good, and has some heart warming moments of sibling love and tenderness, and it keeps you interested throughout.If you are after a good story, to read over a long summer holiday, but not one to think too deeply about, then you will enjoy this book. It was, as my mum would say, Quite entertaining.