Heard a very interview as to this book, and as such was expecting so much more from it.

Four (orphaned) sisters, all holding doctorates (one being honorary) lead very different and separate lives. One sister unexpectedly goes off grid, with the remaining 3 gathering to try to find her and work out what is going on.

They eventually find her (in lonely rural Ireland) but remain confused by her motivations and where their respective lives are headed.

the interplay between different combinations of the sisters are usually interesting, and I thought they would lead to something.

But the end of the book is one of the more bizarre and unexpected I have come across. No, I do not need my fiction to always finish with a neat bow and a happy ever after, and some people like the openness of a cliff hanger, but I did not thing this book provided sufficient context and background to even guess the outcomes for the 4 sisters (bar one).

I will happily try another book from Hughes, as the writing itself was quite good

Big ship

12 June 2024 ( )

Prepare to work for your pleasure when you pick up The Alternatives by Caoilinn Hughes as this novel contains philosophical lectures, Irish slang, and intellectual banter all wrapped up in some challenging structure. Under all of that, The Alternatives looks at four sisters who raised each other after being orphaned and now maintain various levels of relationships from close to not so much. Brought together by one sister’s disappearance into the countryside to live simply, they must confront each other, their personal issues, and the family’s difficult history. Readers looking for a challenging but witty Irish novel about family will not be disappointed with The Alternatives. ( )