Forgotten Sisters

A Novel

By: Cynthia Pelayo

Narrated by: Natalie Duke, B.J. Harrison

A city’s haunted history and fairy-tale horrors converge for two women in an addictive novel of psychological suspense by a multiple Bram Stoker Award-nominated author.

Sisters Anna and Jennie live in a historic bungalow on the Chicago River. They’re tethered to a disquieting past, and with nowhere else to go, nothing can part them from their family home. Not the maddening creaks and disembodied voices that rattle the old walls. Not the inexplicable drownings in the area, or the increasing number of bodies that float by Anna’s window.

To stave off loneliness, Anna has a podcast, spinning ghostly tales of Chicago’s tragic history. But when Anna captures the attention of an ardent male listener, she awakens to the possibilities of a world outside.

As their relationship grows, so do Jennie’s fears. More and more people are going missing in the river. And then two detectives come calling.

They’re looking for a link between the mysteries of the river and what’s housed on the bank. Even Anna and Jennie don’t understand how dreadful it is—and still can be—when the truth about their unsettled lives begins to surface.

©2024 Cynthia Pelayo (P)2024 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Spooky and sad with a constant sense of ambiguity at its core.”—Kirkus Reviews

"This compelling mystery within a unique haunted-house story is told in gorgeous prose, with sympathetic, complicated characters who feel as if they could materialize off the page. Pelayo has given readers another can’t-miss novel, marked by its pervasive unease and riveting storyline. For fans of ghost stories that mine memory, fairy tales, and mystery, such as the works of Simone St. James, Jennifer McMahon, and Helen Oyeyemi.”—Library Journal (starred review)

“Bram Stoker Award and International Latino Book Award winner [Cynthia] Pelayo offers readers an almost lyrical experience that twists and turns until its unexpected end.”—Booklist

Wonderfully spooky and smart ghost story!

Loved this haunted story! Highly recommend to anyone looking for a chilling tale to wind away the wee hours. It just came out and had to listen to it all right away. Get this book!

Wild ride

I was excited to read this book because I knew it was a Night Worms pick, it’s a book club pick I’m participating in, and because Pelayo is a Bram Stoker-nominated writer. The book surprised me from the beginning. It is a genre-blending, and genre-bending, novel with elements of historical fiction, gothic, mystery, horror, and fairy tale lore, heavily relying on Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid.

It follows two sisters who live on the banks of the Chicago river in a house they share with ghosts of their past generations. The sisters are forced to deal with the increasing number of male bodies floating by their home in the river below while also facing the scrutiny of two detectives who noticed a connection between the k1lling$ and the sisters’ house.

Pelayo considers her novel to be an adaptation of Andersen’s The Little Mermaid. I loved the beautiful writing style, creating a unique atmosphere in which there is so much going on. It makes you keep guessing and turning pages, almost like in a fever dream, floating down and going with the river flow of this intricate narrative, eager to know how everything will end.

It is a slow burn and a wild ride. Pelayo’s prose is very detailed, all to create the gothic atmosphere. I visited Chicago and loved it, and the novel presents you with some historical facts that were unknown to me, so I ended up learning a little bit more about this amazing city. If you like gothic, genre-blending novels, and fairy tales, I believe Forgotten Sisters will be worth your time.

Thought provoking ghost story

The author is fascinated by Chicagos history, weaving a tale of lost families connected to a certain riverfront home, where two young women struggle to find their way. Cynthia Pelayo can stand shoulder to shoulder with Algren, Sinclair, Wright, and know her words speak for the forgotten and disadvantaged lower working class. Plus a pretty good ghost story. Fascinating and captivating.

Poetic, Rich, Full of history, Simply beautiful.

C. Pelayo is masterful in her story telling. Seamlessly weaving genres while building characters, histories, mystery, and horror. What an artist.

Captivating

The story, though at times was hard to follow, kept me very engaged and guessing as to how it would end.

Mystery based on internet conspiracy

The author "borrowed" Smiley Killer conspiracy wholesale to create Blue Diamond. Plenty of descriptive gore and psychosis. Wayyyyyy loads of disgusting details of decomp (if that's your idea of "horror"). Narration is fine.

Lame

Kept waiting for this so called “slow burn” to get better, but it never did

Boring

Morbid, narration and storyline doesn’t even capture interest, very depressing just listening to the same monotone voice.