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    The Sisters
    The Sisters
    The Sisters
    Audiobook10 hours

    The Sisters

    Written by Claire Douglas

    Narrated by Scarlett Mack

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    From the Sunday Times No. 1 bestselling author of The Girls Who Disappeared

    One lied. One died.

    When one sister dies, the other must go to desperate lengths to survive

    After a tragic accident, still haunted by her twin sister’s death, Abi is making a fresh start in Bath. But when she meets siblings Bea and Ben, she is quickly drawn into their privileged and unsettling circle.

    When one sister lies, she must protect her secret at all costs

    As Abi tries to keep up with the demands of her fickle friends, strange things start to happen – precious letters go missing and threatening messages are left in her room. Is this the work of the beautiful and capricious Bea? Or is Abi willing to go to any lengths to get attention?

    When the truth outs, will either sister survive?

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateAug 13, 2015
    ISBN9780008123925
    Author

    Claire Douglas

    Claire Douglas is the Sunday Times number one bestselling author of eight stand alone novels: The Sisters, Local Girl Missing, Last Seen Alive, Do Not Disturb, Then She Vanishes, and Just Like The Other Girls, The Couple at No. 9, and The Girls Who Disappeared. Her books have sold over a million copies in the UK and have been published worldwide. The Couple At No 9 was an Amazon number-one bestseller, a number three Sunday Times bestseller, and most recently hit number one on Germany's Der Spiegel paperback bestsellers chart. The Girls Who Disappeared was a Richard and Judy book club pick for Autumn 2022 and was an instant number-one Sunday Times bestseller. Her books have sold over a million copies in the UK and have been published worldwide.

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    Reviews for The Sisters

    4/5

    243 ratings25 reviews

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    • 4/5
      The Fall of the House of Usher By Edgar Allen Poe...... Oh, I'm sorry! I meant The Sisters by Claire Douglas. I tell you, after reading this, I need my own grippy sock vacation. Abi is struggling with life after the death of her identical twin sister Lucy. Abi believes she has killed her twin in the car accident since she was driving, and she sees her everywhere. Even in the face of Beatrice, whom she meets on the street one day. Beatrice invites her to her home, where her and some artsy friends are having a gallery of sorts. Their friendship moves fast, and soon Bea is asking Abi to move in with her, her friends, and her twin brother. Abi is smitten with Beas twin Ben from the start, and a relationship is formed. But not supported. Suddenly, Abi sees how possessive Bea of Ben and how Ben always sticks up for Bea. Is it just the twin bind Abi misses and longs for so much? Or is it something more? Is Abi losing her grip on reality again? Or is someone playing with her already fragile mind?
    • 5/5
      Really well written love how the characters all come together at the end
    • 4/5
      Ehrman has become one of my favorite writers in the realm of Biblical and extra-Biblical/Gnostic studies. A very clear understanding of the various reasons for suffering that are offered in the Bible (which are prevalent throughout the culture), as well as his own speculation/journey from Christian to agnostic. Makes me want to read "The Brothers Karamazov" again.
    • 5/5
      Brilliant!

      Would totally recommend this. Kept a few things up her sleeve the whole way through. Well written, tight language and vivid descriptions. Don't miss a chance to read this one. I don't want to give anything away for this one. Just read it.
    • 3/5
      Alright book, I expected a lot more from the ending
    • 4/5
      Whether in his books or lectures, Professor Ehrman has the rare ability to inform the reader in an interesting fashion using concise, straightforward language. Perhaps most importantly, he actually analyzes the biblical texts instead of relying on well worn but unsubstantiated beliefs. To quote from his book, "It is important then, to see what the bible actually says, and not to pretend it doesn't say something that happens to contradict one's own particular point of view. But whatever the bible says needs to be evaluated... It is a matter of using our intelligence to assess the merit of what the biblical authors say."In this work the common explanations of suffering (punishment for sin, "free will," etc.) are addressed and found lacking. While no answers are found, and there may be none, Professor Ehrman's analysis is thought provoking and informative. Recommended.
    • 4/5
      Biblical scholar Bart Ehrman considers a question much-debated by religious believers: "If there is an all-powerful and loving God in this world, why is there so much excruciating pain and unspeakable suffering?" Personally, I've always thought that the exploration of this question makes a good argument for atheism. Ehrman more or less agrees: it was precisely this question that led to him abandoning his once-deep Christian faith. These days, he considers himself an agnostic, saying that while he does not know whether or not there is a god, he's pretty sure that the all-powerful, all-loving interventionist deity he was taught to believe in doesn't exist.This book is most definitely not an anti-religion screed, however, and while Ehrman presents his point of view and the reasons why he thinks as he does, he's not exactly rubbing his hands together and cackling gleefully at the thought of destroying anyone's belief system. What he is doing is carefully examining how the various authors of the Bible explained the existence of human suffering, putting those explanations in their proper historical context, and then commenting on the problems he sees with them.Ehrman's writing is very clear and easy to understand. It's not exactly lively, though, and does get a bit repetitive in places. And, to someone like me for whom the best and most sensible answer to "If God exists, why do we suffer?" clearly seems to be that the premise itself is faulty, it often starts to feel a bit angels-on-the-head-of-a-pin pointless after a while. Still, I found much of it interesting and useful, if only for the perspectives it gives about ideas on sin and suffering that are still prevalent today, and just how deep the roots of some of those ideas go. I also appreciate how careful Ehrman is to keep himself grounded in the reality of human suffering, never reducing it to an abstract philosophical point. And I do think his conclusions are absolutely spot-on.
    • 3/5
      You know the old saying about what happens when you assume ...Let's look at the subtitle of Ehrman's book and unpack the assumptions: "How the Bible Fails to Answer Our Most Important Question—Why We Suffer".- Assumption Number 1: Our most important question is, "Why do we suffer?"- Assumption Number 2: The Bible was written to answer the question "Why do we suffer?""Why do we suffer" is clearly Ehrman's most important question. In an autobiographical first chapter he describes how this question led him to dismiss the evangelical Christian faith he was raised and educated in. In his words, "The problem of suffering became for me the problem of faith" (3).Reading this book from a Christian perspective, the first chapter evoked pathos and a desire to walk with Ehrman through his intellectual and faith struggles. Unfortunately, his use of tragedy for shock value combined with an air of intellectual superiority quickly undermined any sense of empathy.Ehrman brutally describes human suffering. From the Nazi concentration camps to children dying for lack of clean water, nothing is exempt from his eye. While it's critical in a book like this to state the depth of human suffering, he uses graphic suffering to bludgeon carefully nuanced and sincere attempts towards an answer.The bulk of God's Problem consists of chapters which describe how different biblical authors wrestled with the question of suffering:1) People suffer because God judges sinners2) Suffering is a consequence of sin3) Suffering is the path to redemption4) Suffering makes no sense5) God will even out the scales in the afterlifeFor Ehrman, these views are often mutually exclusive. His historical method precludes any systematic understanding of the whole canon. In the end, he accepts the view of Job (without the prelude and conclusion)—that suffering simply makes no sense.Let me offer one more implicit assumption—that we should be able to fully comprehend the biggest mysteries of life including, should he exist, the mind of God and the nature of suffering. This was the sort of theological arrogance that God challenged Job about.I'll be honest. I don't know why a good and powerful God allows evil to exist. I do know that Ehrman's disdain of any attempts to reach towards an answer is no help on the journey.
    • 4/5
      A biblical scholar looks at the problem of evil. If there truly is an all powerful, all loving God, how can there be evil? He examines the different biblical explanations for evil, including punishment for sin, redemptive power of evil, free will, and just because (the last is my phrase, not his). The book is well written, accessible, and not laden with jargon. It is a thorough look at biblical explanations for evil, and includes some more modern manifestations of these arguments, as well. The author dissects each argument in turn to see whether it holds water or not. The book loses a star for the section in which the author explains why he calls himself an agnostic and not an atheist, showing that he is unfamiliar with the way most atheists use the term, and that he is apparently unfamiliar with (or unwilling to grant any credence to) the atheist literature. In his attempts to establish his own humility, he comes off as somewhat smugly superior to both believers and non-believers. In addition, I will have to say that evil is not a good reason to reject belief in the existence of a god; it might be a good reason to reject belief in a particular manifestation of a god, and a good reason not to worship any particular deity, but the mere presence of evil in the world does not negate a creator god. While his position does not render his thesis bankrupt or even suspect, it is disheartening to see someone playing so handily into the trope that non-believers reject God because they are angry at him. Otherwise, a fine work.
    • 5/5
      I have found all of Ehrman's books (and lectures published by the Teaching Company) to be readable, thought-provoking, fascinating, and a welcome antidote to the mindless religio-babble coming from many so-called Christians, especially of the television variety.
    • 3/5
      A Bible scholar looks at attempts to deal with the problem of suffering in the Bible. Ehrman says in this book that he moved from evangelical Christianity to agnosticism because he could not reconcile Biblical explanations of suffering with what he sees and experiences. This is a fascinating book but it doesn't, to my mind, address the problem of suffering in all its complexity.
    • 5/5
      This book is bit more personal than others Ehrman has written. Ehrman's inability to reconcile a world overwhelmed with sufferiung with an all-powerful, compassionate God drove him to agnosticism. As in his other books, Ehrman's approach is scholarly but completely accessible as he examines biblical responses to suffering. A compelling, insightful, and provocative inquiry.
    • 3/5
      This is good and interesting in parts, but I think it's directed at someone who is still on the fence about belief in a Christian god, so much of it is uninteresting to me. Way more in-depth theological discussion and comparison than I was interested in. He does make some excellent points, but there are more succinct ways of getting the same message, I'm sure.
    • 4/5
      If there is a God why does he allow or initiate suffering? This is the profound question of this book and the Hebrew and Christian faiths.
    • 5/5
      Well argued, clear and well written discourse on why suffering exists if a god also exists.
    • 4/5
      I’ve been wanting to read Ehrman’s work for quite a while, and this one did not disappoint. In God’s Problem Dr. Ehrman delineates the several kinds of suffering in the Bible; suffering because Believers turned away from God and His law, suffering because Believers are His chosen people, suffering to prove God’s greatness (i.e. Job), etc. Each level can be backed up with passages from the Bible, but what Ehrman does is point out where these themes of suffering clash with each other, and with life as we know it. Further, Ehrman contextualizes it in terms of the historic placement within society at the time of the biblical writing and compares it to how modern society (and Christians) view these writings. While Ehrman offers these comparisons, he’s not afraid to say that no one knows for sure why suffering happens and frequently wonders how if God is so loving, how He can let such horrendous things occur in our world. A question older than the writings in the Bible itself. Based on this book, I know I’ll be reading more of Ehrman’s work.
    • 5/5
      I think this is the best of Ehrman's books. It asks the question that I ahve often asked- how can a loving God allow so much apparently needless suffering? And Ehrman, coming from a completely different religious background to me- evangelical compared to atheist/agnostic- has the courage to say that what he found has caused him to lose his faith. I suppose he was preaching to the converted in my case, but I have asked myself the same questions and it was nice to see him trawl the Bible and discuss its various appraches to this question. I dont want to offend believers so I wont go any further in this review than to ask that people ask, the next time a disaster happens and some survivor praises God for saving them- Why didnt God save the others too?
    • 4/5
      Ehrman has become one of my favorite writers in the realm of Biblical and extra-Biblical/Gnostic studies. A very clear understanding of the various reasons for suffering that are offered in the Bible (which are prevalent throughout the culture), as well as his own speculation/journey from Christian to agnostic. Makes me want to read "The Brothers Karamazov" again.
    • 2/5
      This is Ehrman's rather personal look at the issue that caused him to "de-convert:" the existence of evil and, in his view, an insufficient answer or divine action regarding evil. The author spends most of the book going through the various answers that the Bible presents to explain the existence of evil: consequence of sin, free will, redemptive suffering, no real answer, and the apocalyptic perspective of the world being under the control of evil forces. The explanations are quite approachable, and, on the whole, fairly accurate, save for the author's prejudice toward the scholarly explanations for the Old and New Testaments. In the end, the work is deeply unsatisfying. Different answers for different situations are deemed "contradictory." Furthermore, when attempting to "refute" the various perspectives, strawman arguments are brought up. He rejects the apocalyptic view for highly questionable reasons, partly due to his (ironically) "fundamentalist" perspective on what the Kingdom "must be." His rejection of the concept of redemptive suffering is also quite facile, and does not really take into account the theological power behind God allowing His own Son to suffer, and the implications such has for the question.Ultimately, the book is unsatisfying because "evil" is really never defined, and the author's rather modernist, post-Enlightenment view seems to handle the question of what "evil" is on a quite facile level. The author would also exalt the position of man and his intelligence, and his interpretation of God's response to Job is quite telling in that regard. The book represents a good explanation of various Biblical perspectives, but the author's interpretation and philosophical presuppositions that color them are quite unsatisfying.
    • 4/5
      My favorite of Ehrman's books--with Misquoting Jesus a close second. The book is heartfelt and convincing. I now better understand why sentiments such as "everything happens for a reason" and "this is the best of all possible worlds" and "we suffer because we have free will" are bothersome. Ehrman doesn't write to argue anyone out of faith, but this book does encourage a thoughtful examination of religious explanations of/justifications for suffering.
    • 4/5
      This book is part personal spiritual memoir and part biblical analysis. It comes across as a rambling lecture by a bible professor who likes to tell stores about himself and expound on world history in addition to discussing the biblical subject at hand. The combination kept my interest while providing an educational experience.Mr. Ehrman provides a thorough review of Biblical views of evil and suffering that includes both the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) and the New Testament. He uses easy to understand language, and when academic and theological terms are used they are clearly defined. His analysis of the book of Job I found to be particularly well done. Mr. Ehrman can now evaluate the book of Job without trying to defend God's actions, now that he has publicly announced that he's an agnostic.Yes it's true! He states early in the book that he now considers himself to be an agnostic. And that is after starting out as an evangelical fundamentalist and attending the conservative bastions of Moody Bible Institute and Wheaton College. Wow, what a roller coaster ride that must have been!I am sympathetic with his spiritual journey except that the beginning and ending points are less extreme in my own case. However, I wish Mr. Ehrman had mentioned some of the alternative concepts of God that he apparently passed over on his journey from being fundamentalist to becoming agnostic. Ehrman is sufficiently well informed to know that there are images of God that don't require God to be a divine and cosmic baby sitter. Ehrman has concluded that since there is suffering in the world, God can't possibly be anything that is humanly imaginable. Does this include a God who simply doesn't intervene in the physical universe? Does that include a God who is the "ground of being?" Perhaps Ehrman didn't want to hurt his book sales by trying to discuss difficult to understand concepts of God. He wanted to make sure he got his share of the "No-God" genre by staking out a position somewhere between Richard Dawkins and Billy Graham.
    • 5/5
      Bart Ehrman writes clearly and knowledgeably about the Bible. I've enjoyed many of his books, (and lectures) and have always found them informative and engaging. This book adds a passionate, personal, human dimensionto his work that is very compelling. A wonderful blend of personal anecdote, entirely human philosophicalmusing, and compelling and thorough research and analysis. Highly recommended.
    • 5/5
      I really like Bart Ehrman's writing. He is a knowledgeable scholar, and he asks important questions and doesn't settle for easy answers. This book talks of his life as a Christian... growing up in mainstream Christianity, then having a born-again experience and devoting himself to evangelical Christianity, then becoming a Biblical scholar in order to understand the texts of the Bible. His scholarship is incredible... not only can he talk knowledgeably about the various texts of the Bible we have, but about the Bible's textual scholars from the early years of Christianity on. In this book, Ehrman talks about why and how he lost his Christian faith and became an agnostic, and it has to do with the question of human suffering. The problem boils down to this... God is all powerful, God is all loving, but suffering exists... deep relentless suffering of the innocent as well as the not-so-innocent. Ehrman discusses the viewpoints of suffering in the Bible itself. The majority of the texts are from the prophets for whom suffering is the consequence of sin and the punishment for it. He also talks a lot about the apocalyptic vision in which, for some unknown reason, the adversary of god has become powerful and causes human suffering, and that suffering is to be relieved when God decides to stop it. Problem was, it was pretty clear that every generation saw the time of the Rapture as coming NOW. Ehrman himself comes closest to the view of Ecclesiastes, which is that suffering and joy are both quite real, and a mystery, but we should help alleviate suffering and enjoy that which is good.I realize this summary does not do justice to the book and its depth and complexity of argument. Ehrman isn't interested in glib answers. He talks about the strengths and fallacies of all the arguments. For example, many people tell him that suffering is a result of God's allowing his creation free will. Ehrman just doesn't believe that answers why so many suffer in natural disasters, just and unjust alike, and why so many suffer from the time they are born.Excellent overview of a complex and important topic.
    • 2/5
      Slow, dry, and I couldn't help but think that the author was missing the point.
    • 4/5
      Anyone who's been awoken by Jehovah's Witnesses on Saturday mornings knows that the question of why God allows suffering is a despirate problem for believers of the Bible. For some, it is enough of a problem to convince them of the non-existance of the Abrahamic God. Ehrman, the author of Misquoting Jesus, is a Biblical scholar, professor, and former Born-Again Christian. His latest book puts for the Scriptural answers for why there is suffering, in addition to historical and modern interpretations of these answers, and explains how these answers fall short. Each section examines a different suggestion for the problem of suffering and looks at New and Old Testement answers to them. Included are the ideas of suffering because of God-given Free Will, suffering as a test of faith, suffering as punishment, suffering to teach lessons, and suffering as an Apocolyptic sign-and of course that we cannot know God's reason for "allowing" suffering. He even includes the parent analogy-that God is like a parent who must punish His children. Though it is not as Scriptually founded as many of the other arguments, it is a common modern argument (right up there with Free Will).A good protion of this book is set aside as Ehrman's own memoir of how he became (as he calls it) Dead Again-deciding that he no longer believes the tennets of his Born-Again faith and becoming an agnostic. This book is an excellent analysis of what many believers and non-believers grapple with, and many eventually come to the same conclusions he does-that the Bible does not explain in any real and satisfying way how an all-loving and all-powerful God can allow so many people to die of starvation, malaria, cruelty, etc-and he provides devistating statistics. It may also be useful for people trying to understand the position many take in not being able to believe in God-despite this, Ehrman is NOT an atheist, nor is he trying to convert anything. He presents the literary/Biblical criticism of Scripture, tries to understand it, and applies classic philosophy to the arguements he's heard. This book never came close to making me question my own faith, but it has lead me to think more closely about some of the more painful aspects of divinity.