The Opposite of Hallelujah by Anna Jarzab

The Opposite of Hallelujah

by Anna Jarzab

For eight of her sixteen years Carolina Mitchell's older sister Hannah has been a nun in a convent, almost completely out of touch with her family--so when she suddenly abandons her vocation and comes home, nobody knows quite how to handle the situation, or guesses what explosive secrets she is hiding.

Reviewed by Joséphine on

5 of 5 stars

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Once I started reading, I could not put this book down.

It is not normal to claim that a sister who is alive is dead. Yet this is exactly what Caro did. Caro denied Hannah's existence after she withdrew into a convent. It is that lie that plants the seed for the coming events and also the recounts of their childhood. Anna Jarzab also did a lovely job of tackling the issue how these two had to reconstruct their sisterly relationships after basically becoming estranged.

'The Opposite of Hallelujah' was a heart-wrenching novel as it grappled with overcoming terrible mistakes of the past that still overshadowed the present and the future, and with personal faith and beliefs.

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  • Started reading
  • 27 March, 2013: Finished reading
  • 27 March, 2013: Reviewed