"Sometimes the best lessons learned in life are from the terrible mistakes and decisions a person chooses."
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Two Sisters by Arial Green Trafford Publishing
book review by C.D.
In the aftermath of a horrific event, that ended one life and shattered several others, Arial Green's Two Sisters dramatically recounts a very real and personal story of family dysfunction. From a childhood home environment that included physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, we watch Green enter into a marriage of control and isolation. From that point on, Green's life appears to spiral downward. Ultimately, when the author's younger sister, Tara, succumbs to a fatal attack at the hands of her own mentally unstable husband, the revelation is so harrowing that readers may wonder whether or not Green will ever recover from this catastrophic ordeal.
"The death of a dearly beloved person is devastating for anyone." But somehow for Green, the deep connection she had with her sibling, now gone, was a loss felt deeper than most. Ravaged by extreme depression and anxiety, the author also suffers major guilt when pondering the thought that she is alive, but Tara is not. Medication and therapy play a key role in Green's recovery process, but it is clearly a long road.
While searching for answers behind Tara's murder, Green provides generous details. Though here, the focus is not merely on the gruesomeness of the crime scene in terms of material evidence, or later autopsy reports, but rather their significance lies in the emotional reaction they draw from the author. Stylistically, it is interesting that Green approaches much of her writing in the third person. As a therapeutic journal of sorts, in coming to terms with Tara's death, perhaps this choice format helps create a modicum of distance for the author, in order to comfortably relate such traumatic occurrences. Summary chapter titles also effectively bring readers through the eventful time progression. Through the intense heartache revealed within these pages, one can only surmise that the writing experience has been a cathartic one for Green. Certainly this work is a testament to the author's self preservation, and the inner strength that can often move us beyond life's most dire consequences and challenges.