Isabel is divorced, a failed artist, and walking dogs for a living in New York when her estranged sister Sophie, a widowed single mother living on Brinkley’s Island, Maine, breaks her leg and needs help. Returning home, the two sisters are confronted with one of many points of contention in their relationship but none more so than their dead father’s beloved, but deeply unprofitable, bookshop. Can they become friends again and turn the shop into a viable business?
Alice Hoffman’s short story The Bookstore Sisters isn’t bad - the characters are flawed but likeable, the story is overwhelmingly pleasant and Hoffman’s prose is both accessible and flows well.
Many aspects of the book stick out as questionable: the “power of books” message is a bit hokey; the male love interests are cliched; the ending is schmaltzy as hell; Isabel and Sophie resolved their conflict too quickly; no idea how a dog walker makes a living in New York or how a bookshop on a small island is likely to survive long-term.
Noticing the above though also doesn’t ruin the reading experience or the story overall. It’s still compelling to see Isabel returning home - her childhood pain that led to her leaving is both quietly moving and believably written - and the general quaint atmosphere overrides the nitpicks. The main story of a fractured family coming together is done well enough and that’s the point anyway.
The Bookstore Sisters is not the most impressive narrative but it’s a decent short story that I found mildly entertaining.
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