"The Story Sisters" by Alice Hoffman introduces us to three beautiful sisters - Elv, Meg and Claire Story - who at the novel's onset are bound together by love and the magic of the fairy tale world (Arnelle) created by Elv. Arnelle is a fantastical world filled with fairies and demons, which is born in Elv's mind as an escape from the horror she lived, when at the age of 11 she saves her younger sister Claire from a child molester, only to be taken in her stead. In that moment in time, the course of each of their lives and who they are as individuals is forever changed. While the book is titled "The Story Sisters", honestly it mainly focuses on Elv, the wild child trying to drown her demons with drugs and alcohol, with her sisters and mother (Annie) playing bit roles in the story of her life. The book is relentless in its dark and somber tone. It piles one tragedy after another on the family, and tries to redeem itself with a sweet but ultimately unsatisfying ending.
