My Sister Rosa by Justine Larbalestier

Pages: 335

Intended Audience: Mature Teens

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Notes for Parents: Contains coarse language, sexuality, drinking, drug use, and other mature scenes.

The Back Cover

Seventeen-year-old Che Taylor loves his younger sister, Rosa, even though she’s a textbook psychopath. He’s the only one who knows. Rosa tells him everything she’s up to because she trusts her older brother with her darkest secrets. Rosa is smart, talented, pretty, and very good at hiding what she is.

Now that their parents have moved the family to New York City, Rosa has even more opportunities to play her increasingly complex and disturbing games. Che has always protected his little sister from the world. But now he’s starting to wonder if the world might need protection from her.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

This book was an Edgar Award Nominee for Best Young Adult (2017), Rhode Island Teen Book Award Nominee (2019), Aurealis Award Nominee for Best Horror Novel (2016), and a Green Mountain Book Award Nominee (2017).

What’s good?

Che is conflicted and consumed with both love and loathing for his sister, Rosa. Rosa is disturbing and manipulative, completely lacking any desire to care about other people. It’s a troubling story that’s difficult to witness, especially since Che’s longing for normalcy is so understandable. Since their parents refuse to admit there’s anything wrong, the burden rests on Che to protect people from his apathetic sister. There are two strong and interesting female characters – Leilani and Sojourner – who provide truth and support. The story is diverse and touches on many social issues. There’s a nice twist at the end.

Best Part: Che.

What isn’t good?

This felt more like a romance with a bit of psychological thriller in it. The story moves slowly, especially the first half, because there’s a lot of telling rather than showing. The plot is fairly predictable, though there are some twists and turns that some readers may not see coming. Che’s parents are perplexing, as is their relationship with Leilani’s parents who seem entwined with each other with no strong explanation.

Worst part: The “parentals.”

Recommendation ☺☺☺ (3.5/5)

While characterization is strong, the plot is a bit weak. Rosa is an amazing (and truly disturbing) antagonist, whose strength lies in her vulnerability as a child – we never want to believe she’s truly capable of being the evil mastermind that she is. The plot, however, focusses more on the love story between Che and Sojourner than the psycho sister that threatens his sanity. Overall, it was a good read. Recommended.

Larbalestier, Justine. My Sister Rosa. New York: Soho Press, 2016.