They must not understand why he’s really asking, I think; they must none of them have sisters.

This is just like bunch of sisters you don't have.

Both within the family and without, our sisters hold up our mirrors: our images of who we are and of who we can dare to be.

How strange it is to have a sister, Valerie thought. Someone you might have been.

Different people were good at different things, Lena mused. Lena was good at writing thank-you notes, for instance, and Effie was good at being happy.

The anguish I always feel when she's in pain wells up in my chest and threatens to register on my face.