Title: Sister Surrendered
Author: Darla M. Grese
Genre: Memoir
Rating: 4 stars
Purchase: Amazon
Review copy provided by Enchanted Book Promotions in exchange for an honest review.
When you’re a twin, loneliness is somewhat unfamiliar because you’ve always had each other. So when a twin passes, the other is left unprepared. Our loyalty was steadfast and our devotion to one another, solid. Our love was unconditional no matter what the circumstances. I’m so grateful every day for the memories of the joy and laughter that we shared together. I know the bond that Kelli and I shared is impossible for anyone to replace. This memoir has become something so much more than initially intended. It’s become a documented journey barely scratching the surface of the love between two sisters. And surprisingly, it’s also become an outlet for me to speak candidly and honestly about my struggles with the cause of Kelli’s death. This is a love story turned tragedy. An exposure of one of the greatest healthcare failures killing Veterans and civilians, and a cry for help to remedy the fiasco. I’ve stressed about who I would mention in this book, nervous that I would hurt someone’s feelings by not mentioning their names. But I’ve realized that it’s impossible to do. Kelli had so many great friends, some I’ve never even met. I need each person to know who has taken the time to reach out to me in whatever capacity that if it weren’t for your heartfelt show of support and love, I don’t know that I would be able to muster the energy to even get up each day. Kelli, we did it.
The starting chapters of Sister Surrendered brought a smile to my face. It’s the story of two twin sisters who spent all their time together, who shared the same friends, memories and dreams. But soon the book took a darker turn, and the laughter turned to tears. What happened to Kelli was horrible. The book is about mental illness, about addiction, about the love of two sisters, about how lives can be ruined because of healthcare failures, and about how easy it is to claim not to be responsible for medical errors made. Most of all it’s a story about sisters, about their unique bond, about losing that bond and how hard it is to go on after that.
This book also infuriated me. Because of the medical errors, because of how Kelli’s life could’ve been saved if someone stood up and took responsibility, and if healthcare wasn’t so mismanaged.
Either way, it’s a great book, and that one that should be read, and deserves to be read by everyone. The writing was great, and from the start, I felt a connection with Kelli and Darla, which made the book all the more interesting, but also all the harder to read.
A must-read for just about anyone, and a real eye-opener.
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