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The Frederick Sisters Are Living the Dream

A Novel

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About this listen

 Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine meets Early Morning Riser with a dash of Where’d You Go, Bernadette in this “funny and insightful” (Real Simple) novel about one woman whose life is turned upside down when she becomes caregiver to her sister with special needs.

Every family has its fault lines, and when Maggie gets a call from the ER in Maryland where her older sister lives, the cracks start to appear. Ginny, her sugar-loving and diabetic older sister with intellectual disabilities, has overdosed on strawberry Jell-O.

Maggie knows Ginny really can’t live on her own, so she brings her sister and her occasionally vicious dog to live near her in upstate New York. Their other sister, Betsy, is against the idea but as a professional surfer, she is conveniently thousands of miles away.

Thus, Maggie’s life as a caretaker begins. It will take all of her dark humor and patience, already spread thin after a separation, raising two boys, freelancing, an ex who just won’t go away, and starting a dating life, to deal with Ginny’s diapers, sugar addiction, porn habit, and refusal to cooperate. “The Frederick sisters will have you laughing out loud—often through tears—in this roller coaster ride of a novel that explores what it means to be family” (Tracey Lange, New York Times bestselling author). Family Life Genre Fiction Literature & Fiction Women's Fiction Funny Witty

Critic reviews

"Zusy’s debut novel introduces three adult sisters faced with the health crisis of the middle sister. Gabra Zackman gives Maggie, who tells the story, emotions that range from confidence to frustration to self-pity. Maggie must move the ailing sister, Ginny, who also has intellectual disabilities, from Maryland to New York to more closely monitor her care. Maggie is also navigating a broken marriage, two sons, and a freelance career. Ginny’s voice is flat but adamant as she fights to keep her independence in spite of her physical and mental limitations. Eldest sister Bets, living in California, appears rarely, using that distance to avoid the messy work of relationships. Immigrant nannies Philomena and Lika are given appropriate accents as they provide nonjudgmental care for their challenging patient."
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