Dorothy Whipple | They Were Sisters

Part of the joy of house/cat-sitting for a friend while she is on holiday is browsing her collection of books. Fortunately, she has both excellent taste and has several Persephones that I don’t own. I brought books with me, I have books on my iPad, I’ve bought books since I’ve been here, but I’m never able to resist those dove grey covers.

The endpaper is beautiful. The Persephone website says it “could have been worn by any of the three sisters but perhaps most especially by Vera.” I would say it was more likely to be worn by Lucy, as Vera was probably too smart for something so delicate, and Lucy would have appreciated the gentle pattern of flowers.

While the endpaper is lovely, the book itself is deeply unsettling. Like the only other Whipple I’ve read, the wonderful The Priory, the novel concerns the life choice of sisters. Lucy, the eldest, takes care of her family from an early age, and provides a constant base of support that is only truly appreciated by the next generation of her family. Vera is a beauty who is used to having her own way, and her lack of imagination and selfishness make her unable to see the lasting effect she has on people until that effect begins to fade. Charlotte is a wife and mother who, after being emotionally abused by her husband for years, decides to be neither and self-destructs in a world of drink and drugs.

While it can be difficult to watch Charlotte and Vera awake to the effect their actions have had on others, it is the slow destruction of their children that is painful to read. While the novel is ostensibly about an abusive husband, what lingers is the emotional abuse that this small group of adults inflict upon their children. Vera’s daughters are made pawns in their parents’ unhappy marriage. Charlotte’s children, who find unconditional love in the shape of a beloved dog, are witnesses to the most unspeakable and unforgivable act of violence against him. The book, in spite of all of this, never feels melodramatic or revels in misery. The novel is saved by Lucy, who is able to see what’s happening and tries to help, even if she doesn’t always succeed. Whipple’s depiction of children is astonishingly good; she neither sentimentalises them nor ignores the effect they have on others. While some of the children get swallowed up by the actions of their parents, two are rescued by Lucy, who gives them the home and family they’ve never had. But even more than that, she shows them a wider world where people can be kind and love can be healthy.