I wanted to love Vanessa Lillie’s Blood Sisters. It features a Cherokee woman working as an archeologist for the Bureau of Indian Affairs on Narragansett land in Rhode Island. Lillie herself is Cherokee, and lives in Rhode Island. I liked the book, but I didn’t love it.
Syd Walker was one of three young girls alone one night when two masked white men broke into the trailer. She’s lived with fear ever since the night one of her friends was killed by those men. Syd managed to save her sister, Emma Lou, then, but she couldn’t save her from her marriage and drug addiction. Now, fifteen years later, in 2008, Syd hasn’t been home since the night she sent her brother-in-law to jail and tried to rescue her sister. Syd’s married; lives in Rhode Island with her wife, and she doesn’t want to return to Oklahoma.
When Jo Mankiller, Syd’s boss, calls, she wants Syd to go home to Picher. Mankiller is focused on missing indigenous girls and women. A skull was found in a tree, with a message meant for Syd. Something is wrong in Picher, and Mankiller wants Syd to find out what the local BIA is hiding. And, Emma Lou is missing. Despite Syd’s original protests, she’s back in Oklahoma. No one is happy to see her. Syd’s parents insist Emma Lou isn’t using, and wouldn’t have left her little girl behind. Syd’s anger only builds as no one will cooperate, and her fear for her sister fuels her anger.
Blood Sisters brings to light the events of fifteen years earlier, and turns them upside down. It’s a story that captures the story of missing girls and women, the problems with drugs and the failure to deal with them. It’s a story of land and politics that the Cherokee can’t seem to escape.
As I said, I wanted to love the book. But, I found Syd frustrating with her fear and anger. I understand why she has it. And, she isn’t an investigator. She’s an archeologist. Her attitude, though, doesn’t help in her attempts to talk with people in the community. She knows that scared and mad go together for her. She’s a loner. But, scared and angry just didn’t work for me with this book.
Vanessa Lillie’s website is https://vanessalillie.com/
Blood Sisters by Vanessa Lillie. Berkley, 2023. ISBN 9780593550113 (hardcover), 384p.
FTC Full Disclosure – I read a galley from NetGalley to review the book for a journal.
Interesting to see the hometown used is Picher Oklahoma.
A real location, Picher is/was an EPA superfund site due to extensive lead & zinc mining. Possibly a handful of people still live there, but many of the remaining residents accepted government funds in the early 2000’s to move elsewhere.
I did have the feeling Lillie knew what she was writing about, MM. I just didn’t feel the heart in the book. Thank you for the background!
That’s too bad, because it sounds like potentially it could have been really good.
Maybe the next one.
Maybe so, Jeff. I loved the premise. The author knows what she’s writing about, and I was excited about this book. It just didn’t work for me.
Local news here in DFW has done stories about that place and more than a handful still live there. At least, as of a few years ago. There have been missing women in that area as well.
I put a hold on a copy here and plan to take a look. Dallas Library system is getting six copies so to get that many, folks in charge think it is going to be a popular book. For what that is worth.
I think it will be popular, too, Kevin. And, if you like it more than I did, I’d love to run an opposing viewpoint when you get around to reading it.
I appreciate that you and MM have supplied some additional background. Thank you.