The Frederick Sisters Are Living the Dream
A Novel
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3.0 • 4 Ratings
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine meets Early Morning Riser with a dash of Where’d You Go, Bernadette in this “funny and insightful” (Real Simple) novel about one woman whose life is turned upside down when she becomes caregiver to her sister with special needs.
Every family has its fault lines, and when Maggie gets a call from the ER in Maryland where her older sister lives, the cracks start to appear. Ginny, her sugar-loving and diabetic older sister with intellectual disabilities, has overdosed on strawberry Jell-O.
Maggie knows Ginny really can’t live on her own, so she brings her sister and her occasionally vicious dog to live near her in upstate New York. Their other sister, Betsy, is against the idea but as a professional surfer, she is conveniently thousands of miles away.
Thus, Maggie’s life as a caretaker begins. It will take all of her dark humor and patience, already spread thin after a separation, raising two boys, freelancing, an ex who just won’t go away, and starting a dating life, to deal with Ginny’s diapers, sugar addiction, porn habit, and refusal to cooperate. “The Frederick sisters will have you laughing out loud—often through tears—in this roller coaster ride of a novel that explores what it means to be family” (Tracey Lange, New York Times bestselling author).
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Playwright and screenwriter Zusy explores in her powerful debut the complicated dynamics of sisterhood and disability. The title is ironic: Youngest sister Maggie Frederick is struggling to care for her intellectually challenged and volatile middle sister, Ginny, 56, while the oldest, Bets, carries on what seems a perfect life in Southern California. As the story begins, it becomes apparent that Ginny—who's been living on her own in Maryland, but nearly dies from sepsis—needs constant care. After Maggie moves Ginny to a nursing facility near her own home in New York City, chaos reigns, as Ginny resists every rule designed to keep her healthy, and Maggie's marriage begins to fail. As the tensions pile up, it becomes apparent that Bets's life isn't so great—and that Ginny has untapped wisdom. Zusy does a great job capturing Maggie's mixed emotions about becoming a caregiver and the resentment she feels toward Bets after taking on most of the responsibility for Ginny. Zusy notes in her afterword that she herself bore responsibility for an intellectually disabled sibling, which brings a sense of authenticity to every page. This admirable story offers an excellent view into the struggles of family caregiving.
Customer Reviews
Heartwarming and Hilarious
Four and a Half Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭒
Frederick Sisters Are Living the Dream by Jeannie Zusy is a look at a woman who is a caretaker to her sister with intellectual disabilities. It’s emotional, funny, and a bit chaotic, but totally worthwhile reading.
Maggie is the youngest of three sisters and lives just outside of New York City with her two almost adult sons. Betsy is the oldest and is living the dream out in California, running a surfing school. Ginny is the middle child and she is diabetic and has intellectual disabilities and lives independently in Maryland where the family grew up.
When Maggie gets a call that her sister, Ginny is in the hospital, she doesn’t hesitate to drop everything and go help her. But, when she gets to Maryland, she realizes that Ginny needs more help than she expected. She decides to bring her to New York where she can live closer. But, Maggie has her own chaotic life. She’s separated from her husband and trying to date while raising two boys and keeping up with her freelance job.
Maggie is far from perfect and makes her own mistakes in her life, but her love for her sister is never in question. I liked how the book demonstrated both the highs and lows of being a caretaker. Ginny was my favorite character. She was always so frank, and her observations of the family were sometimes right on point.
The writing was a stream of consciousness from the main character, Maggie. We all find out how her actions affect others around her at the same time she does. I thought the middle was a bit slow, but it was also full of the frustrations and challenges of caring for an adult with intellectual disabilities and day-to-day family issues.
Overall this is a heartwarming story about the difficulties of being a caretaker, a mother, a wife, and a sister, and still trying to be her own person.
I highly recommend The Frederick Sisters are Living the Dream to anyone who enjoys heartwarming fiction. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.