Sororicidal begins in 1915 Adelaide, and is about two affluent sisters, Margot and Mary. Margot is born with a disability that leaves her in chronic pain, and Mary breaks ties with her sister and travels to Europe to become a ‘serious artist.’ They reunite decades later after the death of their mother, but when Mary meets Margot’s wife and daughter, their relationship only gets more strained.

At the heart of the story are the twisted family dynamics. The two girls have an intensely complex bond, but as the book is broken up into four sections and opens with Margot’s narration, our perceptions of Mary start off clouded by her sister’s growing enmity. A major part of my reading experience was questioning which narrator was more unreliable. Does Margot remember her childhood accurately, or is she lying to herself? Does Mary actually care about her sister? These girls keep finding ways to hurt the other, how much is deliberate? Preston’s characterisation of two repressed women coming from a loveless family had me glued to the page, as the ‘things left unsaid’ led to moments of exquisite tension and fiery destruction.

Sororicidal takes place over decades, and Preston’s writing instantly transported me to 1940s Adelaide or 1970s South of France. She raises many interesting ideas, (I was intrigued by the theme of the morality of nudity in art), but nothing is ever concrete. The short chapters are snapshots of the sisters’ inner world, and while I loved the abruptness of the ending, this book will definitely leave you with unanswered questions.

An atmospheric, engaging read.

Reviewed by Rachel Denham-White

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Edwina Preston is a Melbourne-based writer and musician. Preston is the author of a biography of Australian artist Howard Arkley, Not Just a Suburban Boy, the novel The Inheritance of Ivorie Hammer, the novel Bad Art Mother, and the novel Sororicidal.

Edwina has played in Melbourne bands ATOM, Harry Howard and the NDE, and Duet. She has performed alongside Lydia Lunch, Mick Harvey, JP Shilo, Kid Congo, Bobby Gillespie and others, in Australia and overseas. Edwina features on keyboards and vocals on the recording Kid Congo and the NDE Live in St Kilda, Red Records, 2022.

Edwina began her career as a spoken word artist and has most recently contributed her spoken word to David Bridie’s It’s Been A Long Time Since Our Last Correspondence.

Visit Edwina Preston’s website