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The Opposite of Hallelujah | LitPick Book Reviews
The Opposite of Hallelujah
The Opposite of Hallelujah
The Opposite of Hallelujah
Anna Jarzab
A riveting depiction of sisterhood, as one sibling's return home unleashes lies, a secret long buried, and emotional upheaval.Caro Mitchell considers herself an only child--and she likes it that way. After all, her much older sister, Hannah, left home eight years ago, and Caro barely remembers her. So when Caro's parents drop the bombshell news that Hannah is returning to live with them, Caro feels as if an interloper is crashing her family. To her, Hannah's a total stranger, someone who haunts their home with her meek and withdrawn presence, and who refuses to talk about her life and why she went away. Caro can't understand why her parents cut Hannah so much slack, and why they're not pushing for answers. Unable to understand Hannah, Caro resorts to telling lies about her mysterious reappearance. But when those lies alienate her new boyfriend, friends, and put her on the outs with her parents, Caro seeks solace from an unexpected source. And as she unearths a clue from Hannah's past--one that could save Hannah from the dark secret that possesses her--Caro begins to see her sister in a whole new light."Jarzab packs a lot into this story, questions of faith and forgiveness, science and religion, mental illness, guilt and possible redemption, as well as simple high school drama. But at its heart, this is a story about sisters."--Booklist, starred"A layered meditation on family and belief that will ring true for faith-questing teens."--Kirkus Reviews

Book Details

Genre: 

  • Fiction
  • Mystery

Age Level: 

  • 12 and up
Profile Picture

Caro has a pretty good life: two loving parents, loyal friends, and a fun boyfriend. She's even excited to start her junior year of high school. But things change when Caro's older sister returns home after spending eight years in a convent. The fact that Hannah is eleven years older than Caro makes them practically strangers. Caro doesn't know how to explain Hannah's presence to her friends, and her tight family is shaken up by Hannah's mysterious return. What Caro doesn't know is that Hannah is hiding a secret, one that she's buried deep inside for many years.

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