Coco Mellors burst onto the literary scene in early 2022 with her wildly popular debut novel “Cleopatra and Frankenstein.” Riding on the heels of a Moshfegian renaissance, Mellors’ melancholic and visceral “Cleopatra and Frankenstein” found instant success among the circles of self-proclaimed “sad girls” and enjoyers of the uncomfortable. Mellors has been quick to capitalize on this powerful start to her career with her latest project “Blue Sisters.”
“Blue Sisters” aptly studies the collapsing lives of the three remaining Blue family sisters after the untimely death of their sister Nicky. The oldest sister, Avery, is a neurotic and controlling lawyer living in London with her therapist wife, Chiti. Beneath her “perfect” facade lies the inner turmoil of a recovering alcoholic and heroin addict who, in her sobriety, now faces new ruinous temptations. The middle sister, Bonnie, is a former boxing champion who fled her life in New York to move to California after a humiliating defeat in the ring on the night of Nicky’s death. The youngest sister, Lucky, is a troubled party-girl model teetering on the edge of total self-destruction who can best be described as an ode to “Kate Mess” and literal heroin chic. When the Blue sisters’ mother notifies them that their family apartment in New York is going to be sold — which had been most recently inhabited by Nicky — the estranged sisters are forced to confront themselves, each other and the overbearing cloud of Nicky’s death.
The novel is written with shifting points of view, jumping from one sister to the next with each chapter. This structure allows the reader to gain insight into the sisters’ conflicting perceptions of each other. While helpful in shaping our understanding of the sisters and their dynamic, this multi-dimensional structure also creates the unfortunate issue of underdeveloped storylines. In the three narratives we’re granted, we are also introduced to an abundance of side characters and subplots. While potentially interesting and meaningful within each main sister’s development, together they create a rather confusing and half-baked reading experience. Whatever happens to Bonnie’s friend, Peachy? What is the significance of Chiti’s brother, Vish? What exactly is Chiti’s relationship with her mother, Ganishka? Mother Blue living upstate, Father Blue in a residential rehab facility, Lucky’s relationship with Riley, Lucky’s musical talents and ambitions — it all leaves something to be desired, leaving us with more questions than answers.
Mellors’ writing is well-crafted and flowing, keeping the reader interested through the intertwined plots. Mellors’ ability to capture sisterly dialogues is excellent, masterfully balancing the biting fights and loving exchanges all sisters can relate to. Scenes range from touchingly emotional to soppily sentimental and self-important. Every sentence or word seems thought-out and intentional. Regrettably, the caveat here is of wanted importance and undeserved meaning — the author seems intent on making this book matter when it is not something that is up to her to decide.
As I write this review, I am faced with reality: People will largely enjoy this book. I would not be surprised if, besides me, the novel garners high praises and becomes a favorite among the “weird” literature crowd. In fact, despite my critiques, the book is objectively not bad. Mellors is a talented writer — she knows who she is writing for and executes it well. Perhaps this is my problem with this book and the genre it caters to as a whole. “Blue Sisters” is tepid. In the echo chamber of angsty, unwell women-lit, “Blue Sisters” pushes no boundaries. Yet, for some reason, it thinks it does. In falling into the archetype of troubled, gross, privileged and morally-ambiguous young women, all the shock that Mellors tries to execute becomes safe. It is written for commercial and critical success. People will enjoy and praise this book; I encourage them to consider what it delivers beyond pretty words and edgy sex scenes.
How many more novels about quirkily depressed and beautifully self-destructive Manhattanite women experiencing a quarter-life crisis do we need? The shock factor of “My Year of Rest and Relaxation” is gone. In bookshelves of copycats, authors like Coco Mellors do little to stand out from the crowd and instead cling to the dirtied, dragging hems of others’ innovation. “Blue Sisters” is by no means a “bad” book, yet I find little in it inspiring — nothing about the novel tells me why it should exist or what it is adding to the broader culture. I spent the majority of the book placidly engaged, always hoping the next page would reveal something unique or meaningful in the story. Instead, I ended up facing 300 pages of unsatisfying surface-level freakout writing. “Blue Sisters” is unforgivably insipid and leaves me with the thought that if you can’t beat ‘em, maybe you shouldn’t always join ‘em.
Daily Arts Writer Kathryn Hemmila can be reached at khemmila@umich.edu.
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