My Sister Rosa

This book was provided to me as an uncorrected digital proof by the publisher, via Edelweiss.

I can't remember ever finishing a book, putting it down, and just thinking "Wow" over and over again, but that is exactly how My Sister Rosa affected me. I have never read a book like this before, and I'm feeling really blown away right now. The main character, Che, has an incredible load to bear. On top of all the things that come along with being a teenager, he also has to worry that his sister may hurt or even kill someone if he can't find some way to control her. This idea pervades every nuance of the story. It is so rare for Rosa not to be the center of Che's thoughts that it's actually stated within the story when he is allowed a few brief show more moments to just enjoy life. The supporting characters in the story are vivid, diverse, consistent, and real. The dialog flows naturally, and the foreshadowing does an excellent job of keeping the tension heightened. There is love, horror, heartbreak, and even a bit of mystery. I would label this book a psychological thriller, and would recommend it to teens 15 and older who can enjoy a good twist. show less

"Set it on fire and watch it burn."

A wonderful twisted story. About a brother and sister - and how the brother knows his sister is a monster. She doesn't seem to have a conscience or regret or even real feelings. She mimics those around her and just uses emotions to manipulate others into doing what she wants at the moment. He watches her like a hawk and makes her promise things - like not to kill anyone or make anyone kill anyone else. This is Che's world.

It's dark and twisted and fascinating. The whole story you are waiting to see what Rosa will do next. She seems to be around every corner and the worst moment is when he awakes to find her watching him sleep. Eek. A well done story that completely creeped me out!

The last couple of years, Che's parents have been moving them all over the place every couple of months. They've been to New Zealand, Indonesia, Thailand, Australia and now they're in New York City. Che has four goals for this new move:
1) Keep Rosa under control.
2) I want to spar
3) I want a girlfriend
4) I want to go home
By far the hardest is number one. Rosa is his ten-year-old sister. His psychopathic ten-year-old sister who checks off everything on the checklist: callousness, disinhibition, fearlessness, charisma. She hasn't physically hurt anyone yet. But Che feels like it's only a matter of time before she goes too far. And their parents are no help in keeping her under control because they won't admit there's a problem. This move show more to New York might be the one that finally brings things to a head and Che's dreading the coming climax.

This was a creepy book that had me on edge every time Rosa showed. The constant question of what Rosa was going to do next, who she was going to manipulate, how she was going to mess with people's head left the book with a constant feeling of suspense. At the same time, the first-person perspective had me questioning Che in so many ways. There was no doubt that Rosa exhibited a low level of empathy combined with a tendency towards cruelty that was more than a little worrisome. And Che definitely worried about her a lot. At the same time, there was a feeling that Che could have done something differently. That he could have spoken directly to a psychologist himself about his worries about Rosa. Until the last few pages, Rosa has never been formally diagnosed. Che's read the DSM himself and used that to form his opinion regarding Rosa's mental state, but he's an unqualified teenager. Instead he keeps a journal of his interactions with Rosa, recording their conversations to prove (to whom?) that she's a danger. In some ways, Che's worldview is as twisted as Rosa's is. Is that because of the way he's had to deal with Rosa all her life or because he inherited the same lack of empathy as Rosa? The number of times that someone says that Che's personal views in his journal about Rosa were disturbing makes me wonder about him and what's not being shown from his limited and biased point of view. The twists at the end felt totally out of left field and left me reeling and confused (in a good way?). They emphasized just how limited Che's experience was and how crucial POV is to the crafting of an engaging story. This was by no means my usual fare, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. show less

What a creepy little book this is! The whole time I was reading it, I felt so uneasy.
Rosa is a scary little psychopath who torments her 17 year old brother Che daily. Like all psychopaths, she starts with the small things until the escalation leads to a horrible event that changes everything for everyone.
Che, who despite everything still loves his little sister, tries to get on with his life as best as he can: adapting to a new home and finding his first love.
Absolutely loved the ending. It was unexpected and quite shocking. I also think it was really well written for older teenagers: it depicted them truly and touched on subjects that are key for them.
All in all, a good, quick and creepy read.

This is a great psychological thriller, with all the twistiness and gut punches I could have hoped for. The relationship between Rosa and Che is complex – not to mention the relationships among each of them and each of their parents – and there’s a lot of plotting and manoeuvring and secrets. It’s just the kind of thing I like.

Probably my only niggle (and it's not with the writing) is wishing Che had had a chance to explain himself a little more to Sojourner at the end. Not to change her mind, she totally makes the right call. Just almost really to validate him: that for years no-one's believed him, and for years he's never been able to escape. Yes he made the wrong call, but it's one he's essentially been trained over years to show more make, and it'll take years for him to unlearn that training. --I think she mostly knows, I just wanted it said. show less

My Sister Rosa - Justine Larbalestier Mind blown, again, by the endlessly adaptable Larbalestier. Personality disorders are the worst. Loved it so much I had to reread Liar, also set in NY. (As an aside, the way she writes about physical activity is so compelling, I'm ready to devote myself to running, or boxing. Something. Almost ready. Will be ready after a nice nap with the kitties.) And also, I appreciate so much that the cast of characters isn't exclusively white, or straight, or able-bodied, or neurotypical, or mainline Christian. Her modern world feels like the one I live in, is all.I can't wait to see what she publishes next.Library copy

If it wasn't for the lame romance in this book, I would have given it 5 stars, as the romance, losing my virginity gush gush inter-race mushy stuff and the swearing so detracts from the main story - that of Che trying to teach his 10 year old sister how to act like a normal person and not the psychopath that she is.
Truly chilling are the conversations between Che and his sister where the lack of empathy and moral compass shine through. Arguing with a genius with only a view of black and white, no grey , is absolutely horrifying as you can see the logic behind her answers and the way she manipulates Che's words with future terrible actions. (For example : she promises she won't kill anything but convinces her best friend to kill her own show more guinea pig!)
The end of the book is fantastic as we put the pieces together - I LOVE when I don't guess the answer until it is staring at me in the face - that is the mark of a truly excellent writer and if only Larbalestier had left out the boxing girl and romance and concentrated on the friendship with the lesbian Korean instead! show less