By Girish Shukla
Copyright timesnownews
In ‘Blue Sisters’, Coco Mellors captures the intricacies of family, grief, and the fragile bonds that hold us together even when life feels unravelling. The novel has resonated with readers for its portrayal of love and loss, its sharp observations about sibling dynamics, and its exploration of how identity shifts in moments of crisis. If you found yourself lingering in its atmosphere, wanting more books that delve into family, intimacy, and the ways people carry pain and resilience, you are not alone. Certain novels echo ‘Blue Sisters’ in tone and theme, not through imitation but through their own unique perspectives on what it means to live, to lose, and to continue. Here are eight books that will speak to you if ‘Blue Sisters’ left a lasting mark. Also Read: 8 Books to Read If You Liked ‘Before Coffee Gets Cold’ 1. Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane This moving novel explores the intertwined lives of two neighbouring families in suburban New York. A violent act shatters their bond, but the story is less about tragedy than about the long road to forgiveness. Keane writes with compassion about marriage, mental health, and the resilience required to rebuild relationships. For readers of ‘Blue Sisters’, this book resonates in its examination of wounds that never fully disappear but can be carried with grace and effort over time. 2. Commonwealth by Ann Patchett Spanning five decades, ‘Commonwealth’ traces the consequences of an affair that brings two families together and leaves six children to navigate a blended household. Patchett weaves the perspectives of siblings who grow up amid divided loyalties, shifting dynamics, and the quiet scars of childhood. Much like ‘Blue Sisters’, the novel highlights how family stories are both personal and collective, with each member holding a different version of the truth. It is tender, wise, and unflinching in its portrayal of family history. 3. Signal Fires by Dani Shapiro A haunting novel about secrets, ‘Signal Fires’ begins with a tragedy that binds two families across generations. Shapiro explores memory, silence, and the ways people shield themselves from unbearable truths. What makes the novel compelling is its attention to the quiet spaces between characters, the places where grief lingers. Like Blue Sisters, it suggests that family bonds endure even through unspoken pain. Shapiro’s prose is luminous, and her ability to balance sorrow with moments of light makes this novel unforgettable. 4. The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo This sweeping family saga follows the Sorenson family across four daughters and their parents, exploring decades of love, betrayal, and loyalty. Lombardo writes with warmth and humour about the complexities of sibling relationships, particularly the rivalries and alliances that shape identity. For readers of ‘Blue Sisters’, this novel offers the same depth of characterisation and insight into the ways family both nurtures and complicates our sense of self. It is a book that feels lived-in, capturing life in all its contradictions. 5. We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman This heart-wrenching yet life-affirming novel tells the story of two best friends, one of whom is dying of cancer. Newman writes with raw honesty and unexpected humour about the tenderness and absurdity of grief. While centred on friendship rather than sisters, the book carries the same emotional intensity as ‘Blue Sisters’. It reminds us that loss is not only sorrowful but also filled with moments of absurd laughter, connection, and love that endure even in the face of death. 6. The Past by Tessa Hadley Hadley’s novel brings four siblings back to their childhood home for one last summer before it is sold. Old tensions resurface, secrets come to light, and each character grapples with the weight of memory. Like ‘Blue Sisters’, it examines the way family history shapes who we become, with prose that is both tender and quietly devastating. Hadley’s skill lies in finding drama in the everyday, showing how love and resentment are often inseparable in sibling relationships. 7. The Dearly Beloved by Cara Wall This novel follows two couples bound by faith, friendship, and the challenges of love over decades. While not about siblings, it resonates with ‘Blue Sisters’ through its exploration of intimacy, resilience, and loss. Wall’s story highlights how relationships evolve under pressure and how grief and devotion are woven together. For readers of Mellors’s novel, it offers another portrait of characters navigating life’s hardest questions with compassion and complexity. 8. Writers & Lovers by Lily King At its heart, this novel is about pursuing a creative life in the shadow of grief. Casey, the protagonist, is a writer grappling with the loss of her mother, financial instability, and the fear that she may never succeed. King captures the vulnerability of being young and searching, yet her portrayal of resilience feels deeply affirming. For readers drawn to the raw vulnerability of ‘Blue Sisters’, ‘Writers & Lovers’ offers both solace and recognition in its exploration of ambition, loss, and survival. Also Read: 8 Books to Read If You Liked ‘The Memory Police’ ‘Blue Sisters’ resonates because it does not shy away from the messiness of grief or the contradictions of family. It reminds readers that love and loss are intertwined, that intimacy can both comfort and wound, and that survival often lies in small acts of connection. These eight books extend that conversation, each offering a different angle on the same themes of family, identity, and resilience. If there is a giveaway here, it is this: stories of grief and family are never just about endings. They are about the ongoing work of living, finding light in darkness, and carrying love forward even when everything else changes.
