Oystercatchers

A lyrical novel about the bond between two sisters, by the author of Eve Green, recipient of the Whitbread Award.

Sixteen-year-old Amy lies in a coma. Her elder sister, Moira, sits beside her in the evenings and tells this story seeking forgiveness and retribution. She tells of her own life — her secrets, her shameful actions, and her link to the accident that has brought her sister to this bed.

An only child until the age of eleven, Moira perceived the arrival of Amy as a betrayal. Sent away to a boarding school, she became untrusting, inward, lonely. Even after marriage, she continued to doubt herself and that anyone could love her and be faithful. It is only Amy's accident that brings her back to her family, closer to her husband, and closer to understanding the implications of her own dark nature.

Susan Fletcher lyrically probes the pulls of envy, loneliness, and love — craving it, fearing it, and ultimately recognizing it as the greatest force of all.

"Fletcher is a novelist with the soul of a poet, and Oystercatchers is exquisitely written and unafraid of risk: its pace is unhurried, and its protagonist, Moira, is often unlikable, but any reader who cares for gorgeous writing, richly realized setting, and character will find much here to treasure." Booklist (Starred Review)

"Fletcher chronicles the life of an older sister who feels very, very sorry for herself....Beautiful prose, particularly the evocative descriptions of landscape, isn't enough to redeem such a sour heroine." Kirkus Reviews

"Beautifully written, this confessional dissection of troubled youth is lyrical and honest, its message subtly woven into a story about love, betrayal, and the power of the spoken word to heal and comfort. Highly recommended." Library Journal

"Fletcher's self-conscious, 'arty' prose sabotages the story. Instead of seducing the reader with the what and why of the novel, she tries to impress with a volley of mannerisms and stylistic tics....Blow away the commas and soften the prose and Oystercatchers remains a sad, utterly joyless exercise." Chicago Sun-Times

"Moira's story, told to a comatose Amy, alternates between the first and third person; it is confusing at first, but patient readers will find hope in Moira's growth." School Library Journal

From the Whitbread Award-winning author of Eve Green comes this lyrical novel that probes two sisters struggle with envy, loneliness, and love — an emotion they crave and simultaneously fear, but ultimately recognize it as the greatest force of all.

Sixteen-year-old Amy lies in a coma. Her elder sister, Moira, sits beside her in the evenings and tells this story seeking forgiveness and retribution. She tells of her own life--her secrets, her shameful actions, and her link to the accident that has brought her sister to this bed.

An only child until the age of eleven, Moira perceived the arrival of Amy as a betrayal. Sent away to a boarding school, she became untrusting, inward, lonely. Even after marriage, she continued to doubt herself and that anyone could love her and be faithful. It is only Amy's accident that brings her back to her family, closer to her husband, and closer to understanding the implications of her own dark nature.

Susan Fletcher lyrically probes the pulls of envy, loneliness, and love--craving it, fearing it, and ultimately recognizing it as the greatest force of all.

Susan Fletcher's previous novel, Eve Green, won the Whitbread Award for First Novel and was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Award. She lives in the United Kingdom.