The Wartime Sisters

As girls growing up in Brooklyn, Ruth and Millie Kaplan were taught to see Ruth as The Smart One and Millie as The Pretty One, implying, of course, that Ruth isn’t much to look at and Millie isn’t all that bright. Their mother’s different treatment drives wedge between the sisters, as Ruth is constantly reminded that Millie’s beauty marks her out for a better future. While Ruth is destined to do well in school and then marry a mensch, Millie is destined to be swept away by a handsome prince, marry well, and live an amazing life.

I was very moved by the conflict between the sisters in The Wartime Sisters. My own sister is one of my closest friends, so a story about sisters who couldn’t connect and couldn’t trust each other made me sad. The author did an amazing job with a layered, complex misunderstanding, based on years of different treatments and unspoken expectations.

There was one moment, right after Millie arrived in Springfield, when I was afraid the book was about the reversal when the pretty girl in high school is now a single mom, looking for a menial job, but fortunately, the story swerves before we get too much about that. Instead, we see how the war has affected everyone.  In Springfield, the sisters meet Arietta, a cook and singer viewed with suspicion because of her Italian background, and Lillian, an officer’s wife with her own secrets. This is solid, character-driven fiction.

I found the final conflict completely surprising, especially since there were other moments that were a little predictable and obvious. I don’t want to reveal too much, so you can be surprised too, but I did not see Lenny’s story ending that way at all!