“Until you know my sisters, you don’t know me.” This was the comment, uttered casually by a friend several years ago, when I was still writing Cleopatra and Frankenstein, desperately dreaming of finishing one (just one!) novel, that eventually planted the seed of Blue Sisters. Was this true of me and my siblings, I wondered? Could you know me if you didn’t know them? And, if it was true, who would I be if I lost one of them?
I imagined Blue Sisters as a take on sibling stories like The Royal Tenenbaums, Little Women and The Corrections, in which three very different sisters end up returning to their childhood home in New York after the death of their fourth sister. It is, first and foremost, a family novel. It’s about the ways siblings shape each other, how addiction manifests between generations, and how grief changes us. It’s also (because I’m me, and I can’t write the dark without the light) about glamour, sex, and the joy of living.
Emotionally, this novel took me deeper than I’ve ever gone before. It also pushed me way past my comfort zone in terms of research. Bonnie, the second eldest sister, is a professional boxer; in order to write her fight scenes with technical accuracy, I trained with a boxing coach in Venice, LA for over a year (and even proudly sported a black eye from sparring to prove it). I also interviewed models from all over the world to better understand the youngest sister Lucky’s career as a teen model in the fashion industry.
For Avery, the eldest sister, who has an affair with a man she meets in AA ten years into sobriety, I had countless conversations with other addicts about how self-destructive impulses can shape-shift in long-term sobriety.
“Emotionally, this novel took me deeper than I’ve ever gone before”
Finally, since I’m a city mouse through and through, one of my favourite parts of working on Blue Sisters was how, in addition to New York, I got to try my hand at portraying three of my other favourite cities: Paris, LA, and London.
It is impossible for me to convey how indebted I am to booksellers for the success of Cleopatra and Frankenstein. Many of my happiest memories from the past year are from visiting bookstores in Europe meeting you, often chatting well past closing hours (for which I apologise!). My wish, as Blue Sisters makes its way into the world, is fairly simple: first, that you know how deeply thankful I am for your support, and second, that you enjoy it.
-Coco Mellors
About the book
Blue Sisters will be available in three different formats: Trade paperback, Hardback, and a Special Edition hardback.
Hardback: 9780008622992 | £16.99 | 23 May 2024
The Blue sisters have always been exceptional – and exceptionally different.
Avery, a strait-laced lawyer living in London, is the typical eldest daughter, though she’s hiding a secret that could undo her perfect life forever.
Bonnie was a boxer but, following a devastating defeat, she’s been working as a bouncer in LA, until one reckless night threatens to drive her out of the city.
And Lucky, the rebellious youngest, is a model in Paris whose hard-partying ways are finally catching up with her.
Then there was Nicky, the beloved fourth sister, whose unexpected death left Avery, Bonnie and Lucky reeling. When, a year later, the three of them must reunite in New York to stop the sale of their childhood home, they find that it’s only by returning to each other that they can navigate their grief, addiction and heartbreak—and learn to fall in love with life again.
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