An enjoyable story about trying to discover your past in order to move on and live your future.

Well written with great characters and a gentle read that is emotional and easily relatable.

This was an enjoyable read and I would recommend it. thanks for letting me have an advance copy. I'm new to this author.

An earthquake in England is usually minor and seldom are there major consequences afterwards. The one that shakes the South of England in which Wynhope Manor is at the epicentre proves the exception to this rule. The physical earthquake is destined to cause multiple tremors and ruptures amongst all the individuals resident there on that fateful night. Catherine Chanter draws us into a family where the damage done to them by the previous generation leads to bitter discord and trauma. The sense of evil and overarching danger is always present and, at times, creates almost unbearable tension. Whilst I might criticise this novel for being a bit too long the quality of the writing and the turns of phrase make it a thoroughly enjoyable read nonetheless

This one is a really compelling read. I couldn’t tell where things were headed and loved the in depth look into these characters and heir relationships with each other past and present. An intelligently written psychological thriller.

Really enjoyable read. Good characters and a Good story. Well worth a read. Think others will enjoy.

So happy to be given a whole budget to replenish our senior shelves in the school library. The books in there are far from appealing at the moment and I have been delighted to find books here that will intrigue, captivate and engross my senior students.

This is a fantastic read with characters they will be able to connect with, a pacy narrative and an ending that will provide plenty to talk about. I loved the steadily building atmosphere and think it would be a great way to explore tension in a creative writing task too.

It's great to read a book that does not feel formulaic and gives some credit to their reader's intelligence too. Young people are very fussy about the books they choose to read and in this time-precious day and age it really has to be something above and beyond the ordinary to get them to put down their devices and get their noses stuck in a book.

I think this is one book that will capture their imagination and keep them turning the pages until the end. This is definitely going onto my 'must-buy' list and I really look forward to seeing what the young people themselves think of this atmospheric, clever and engaging novel.

Thrilling book, new author I haven’t heard of before! looking forward to reading more of her books in the future.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the book in exchange for an honest review.
The Half Sister is a very compelling story to read and has many complex themes throughout. The story is told by Diane and then Mikey and then Edmund. Whether you will enjoy the book is up to you but it is well written and very thought provoking.
Recommended

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. This was the first novel that I have read by this author and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Diana and her half sister Valerie have not spoken for many years. This book had many lies and secrets. A good read

Dark, family drama from the past unveiling after the death of the mother. This is an uncomfortable read, touching upon childhood trauma, broken families, and abuse, but the setting is exquisite and the tale beautifully told. Very Gothic in nature.

I struggled with this book. The overall story is good. However I could not warm to any of the characters. I did not like any of them and that made it hard to keep reading.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

The death of Valerie Steadman may be revealed early in the pages of ‘The Half Sister,’ but there is much to discover in this multi layered novel. Everyone who lives or visits Wynhope is flawed and traumatised, and as this is explored, Catherine Chanter’s evocative prose really comes to life.

There’s also a wholly striking young voice- Mikey’s thoughts are articulated with fluency and authenticity, much like Nathan Bishop in David Mitchell’s Slade House. Brilliantly executed, this will be on many a summer reading list.

Something is wrong at Wynhope.
When Valerie and Dianas mother dies, the two half-sisters decide to try and reconcile after differences in their youth made them resent eachother. But can their hard feelings really be put in the past, how long will it be until the truth reveals itself, and what will that result in?

WOW. This book has blown me away. It's not often at all that I read a book that doesn't go at all how I expected it to. See, I thought the whole thing was going to be the lead-up to the Earthquake and the incident that it brings. But it was so much better than that. The Half Sister kept me on my feet, or in this case cosy in bed with my heart skipping a beat each time Hell broke loose. This is the best Adult novel I've read in I-honestly-don't-know-how-long, and there couldn't have been a better book to get me out of my Adult book reading slump. An awfully big thank you to the publisher Canongate Books for letting me have an ARC, upon finishing this I decided it's one of my favourites so far this year.

There was many times while reading this that I felt claustrophobic, it was incredibly intense and chaotic. It didn't take long at all for the accident to occur, but it took even less time to see how the bitterness and tension between the women has been brewing for all these years. I thought that the argument they had (if you read this book - trust me, you'll know what scene I'm refering to) was quite over the top, but it definitely set the tone for the events to come. This book really dives into the way that every person perceives things differently, the impression people give off is not always the reality and Diana is a brilliant example of this as her world starts to tumble down.

The author did a fantastic job at creating characters that perfectly slot into the picture-perfect Wynhope house, such as Mrs H aka Grace who stirred aggression in Diana just by being around. Nine year old Mikeys continued presence really picks away at the flawless life Diana wants to believe she's created for herself, especially since he can't voice what he wants to say after what happens. He's an extremely clever child, and I can't blame him for the way he reacted. He has had so much to deal with despite being so young. Edmund (Diana's husband) is a character who I had a seriously bad first impression of, but he really grew on me. The way he was with Mikey, aswell as Monty the dog, showed his true character. At times I pitied him, and thought he was certainly selfish aswell as weak. But he grew. Diana is truly twisted, and honestly I loved it. It was clear that she was struggling to come clean after she'd got herself tangled in her own secret, it seemed to be eating away at her. Towards the end, she comes across as softer, reflective of her choices maybe, and that's not just because of the situation she's left with, though I feel like that helped. These characters all had flaws, which is another thing I loved - they were real.

I thought the chapters were great lengths, some were longer than others but they each kept me wanting more and remaining excited and eager to read on. I loved the way we get multiple characters viewpoints, it really helps to show that there is more than meets the eye. Of course, I have to mention how pleasing the cover is! It was what lured me into checking out the books synopsis and I am so glad about that.

What really amazed me is how much the tone changed near the end from manic, overwhelming to perhaps understanding, and the question of moving on. The character development left me speechless. I felt so much emotion (initially mostly anger, but that went away). I felt relieved with the way things turned out. I knew not far into The Half Sister that I would give 5 stars, but the ending only confirmed this. This was an absolute whirlwind of a book that I am sure will stick with me for a long time.

A story of an estranged family and the terrible events that can come from keeping secrets and harbouring resentments. Diana left the family home over 20 year previously. She has done well for herself materially and loves her husband Edmund. When her younger half sister, Valerie, contacts her to tell her their mother has died, Diana arranges the funeral and invites Valerie and her young son, Mikey, to stay after the funeral. The terrible events that unfold that night are inexplicable, and set the path for a dark and troubled story. What adult would take out her guilt and anger on a grieving young child? We are happy that Edmund has more caring characteristics than we would have thought, although he buries his head in the sand too much. Just when you think things can't get any worse, something else transpires. That poor troubled child, my heart went out to him. I don't think the ending was satisfactory for anyone.

The half sister opens with an immediately arresting coroner’s report, and then goes back to a point sometime before the incident that leads to the death. I admit I struggled for a while here - the story isn’t half as interesting until it catches back up again. Told from the perspective of the four main characters, you gain an insight into their thought processes (often muddled and contradictory), their personal demons and prejudices and a sense of where the narrative may be taking you (or not, given what else you pick up as you go along).
Having been ready to give up about a fifth of the way in, i read the last half of the book in a couple of sittings - i was hooked by the duplicity and by the guilt. In short - stay with it!

When l started this book l thought it was full of potential a complex and diverse set of characters l am still confused as to why Diana would feel able to let her Sister die old emotions maybe but it seems rather extreme Edmund annoyed the hell out of me a typical “lve got all the golden eggs so let’s throw them about and see if they break” and then we are supposed to feel sorry for him. Not really sure about this book at all perhaps just not for me

Pot boiler, mildly engaging 'mad woman in the extension' style.

For me, this was a very slow-paced read. I just could not like the character's in this book and gave up at 37%. Other readers have suggested that maybe I should have persevered so maybe I'll go back to it again in the near future.

Catherine Chanter’s The Well was one of those books I picked up at the library based purely on the cover and ended up really enjoying. Years later, the story and the characters have stayed with me – something that isn’t easy given the number of books I read.
Seeing Chanter’s new book on Net Galley then, it was an obvious choice to request it. I have to say, I expected great things. Maybe my expectations were too high, maybe it’s my current reading mood, but unfortunately, The Half Sister hasn’t had the same impact on me.
At its core, it’s a good story. A young boy is orphaned and left with his half-aunt and uncle. He struggles to cope, more so because he know a secret about his aunt. His aunt has so many secrets, they are driving her mad (literally it seems) and his uncle has baggage of his own, including both his parents dying when he was young, meaning he retreats from his wife and nephew just when they need him most.
Where the book falls down, at least for me, is how it’s told. The Half Sister wanders and rambles and uses ten words where one will do, making it overly long for me and meaning it lacked the punch it might have had with 100 less pages. It also meant I wandered too. Or my mind did. I struggled to focus and often found myself wondering what was happening, having to re-read pages to try and figure things out.
I also found that, whilst I wanted to care about the boy – Mikey – I couldn’t. I wanted to feel anything – love or hate – for the aunt or uncle but I couldn’t do that either. None of them felt real to me, more characters used to express central ideas – that it’s possible to change your life at any point and sometimes it’s o.k. to forgive. I totally agree with the sentiment. I just wish I’d gotten there quicker.
I realise reading this back it is pretty negative and it isn’t all bad but it just wasn’t for me. Sorry!

Diana and Valerie are estranged half-sisters brought back together for their mother's funeral. On that fateful day, a freak earthquake changes Diana and her half-nephew Mikey's lives forever.

I snapped this one up when I came across it as I enjoyed Chanter's previous novel, [book:The Well|22609511]. However, for me, this one wasn't quite as good. As the earthquake happens very early on, that creates a big moment of drama and the rest of the book is the fallout. That meant that it was then several hundred pages of torturing the three remaining characters (including Diana's husband, Edmund) rather than a plot that starts slowly and has twists and turns.

I did feel the tension and one or two of the events took me by surprise, which is why I've rated it three stars. However, I really didn't like any of the characters, which made it a struggle to read in places because it is very much centred on these three characters and the psychological impact of the earthquake. Then, after the characters torturing themselves and each other for most of the novel, the ending just felt incredibly trite.

A decent novel that was gripping in places but didn't quite live up to the quality of the author's earlier work.