Review of THE SUN SISTER by Lucinda Riley

 2 Stars

This is the sixth book in The Seven Sisters series to which I am listening on my morning walks.

Six girls were adopted by Pa Salt, an ultra-wealthy man.  After he dies, each daughter is given a letter and a clue to her true heritage.   Each daughter’s journey is the subject of a novel.  The Sun Sister is the story of the sixth daughter, Electra.

Electra is a world-famous supermodel living in New York.  Though beautiful and rich, she has difficulty coping with the stresses of her professional life and has turned to drugs and alcohol.  Stella Jackson, a woman who claims to be Electra’s grandmother, turns up and proceeds to tell her the story of Cecily Huntley-Morgan, a New York socialite who travels to Kenya.  Cecily marries a cattle farmer with close friendships with members of the Maasai.  Thus begins the story connecting Electra with her ancestors. 

Electra is not a likeable or believable character.  She is shallow, selfish, self-centred, and stupid.  Though she is in her mid-twenties, she behaves like a moody teenager.  She is Black but doesn’t know about African food, isn’t sure if Kenya is in Africa, wasn’t raised in the U.S. so claims she doesn’t know anything about the civil rights movement, and states that she only recently discovered she is of African heritage?!  Then she is convinced to go into a rehabilitation centre where she succeeds easily at giving up her addictions.  Not only does she never relapse, she undergoes an almost miraculous character change. 

As with the other books, there’s more focus on distant relatives and Electra’s biological parents receive short shrift.  And there is little information about the culture and traditions of the Maasai.  Instead, the focus is on the colonists, Whites living in Kenya who seem to do nothing but party and drink.  If I were Black, I think I might object to the simplistic portrayal of black characters.  A Muslim character is included but she too is unbelievable – too perfect.  She seems to have been introduced as a reaction to the events of 9/11.

This is the longest book of the series so far and it could certainly be shorter.  Parts really drag.  I often found myself distracted.

Though my patience is being sorely tested, I am dedicated to finishing the series because of the amount of time I've invested in it and just because I’m stubborn!