Told with heartbreaking honesty and shrewd humor, Sissie Klein Is Completely Normal examines the ties that bind us—some inherited, others chosen—none without their share of agonizing tangles. Intrigued? Well read on to discover the synopsis and an excerpt from Kris Clink’s Sissie Klein Is Completely Normal, which is out November 9th 2021!
One mistake can steal your innocence. One promise can plague a friendship. One secret can tear apart a family.
Sissie Klein barely remembers the night that tore her from the carefree life she knew. Not long after the shocked teen is pushed into marriage, she’s rushed to the hospital where a catastrophic delivery seals her destiny.
Sissie is determined to give her daughter the opportunities she forfeited, but some fates can’t be avoided. Tragedy strikes, leaving behind a legacy of deceit—and an orphaned toddler.
Trouble had a way of sneaking up on me when I was looking the other way. Della Castro was like that too. She laid claim on me in kindergarten, and before I could say boo about it, she and I were like peanut butter and jelly. Pretending to be sisters came naturally with our dark hair and brown eyes.
But by the time we hit middle school, those resemblances faded. I grew a whopping seven inches over Della’s “cute” five foot three. So long, peanut butter and jelly. We’d become Jack and the Beanstalk.
Our height differences had no effect on our friendship. I adored her, and when the chips were down, Della would’ve barrel-rolled over broken glass to be at my side.
During my junior year of high school, my guidance counselor urged me to consider my future and my purpose in life. I found neither in the college brochures he pushed my way.
I had hoped to find my answer when Della invited me to come along for an unofficial campus visit at Texas State. My parents weren’t hip to the idea, but I talked it up as an educational opportunity. Dad was a hard sell, so I implored Mom to advocate for me.
She came through like a champ. “Thomas, they’re just normal girls, exploring a college town,” she told him. “Della’s cousin will show them around the campus, maybe even take them to that cute bookstore. Don’t be so overprotective. Worst that could happen? Sissie returns home with a sunburn from riding in Della’s convertible.”
You could’ve knocked me over with a feather when my dad agreed with his bland, “Hmph, I suppose.”
Looking back, they were setting me free to make lasting memories with my best friend.
Memories were made that weekend, that much is true. I didn’t visit that bookstore or come home with a sunburn, though. And what did happen triggered an unravelling of an otherwise normal life—a cautionary tale mothers would use to scare their daughters straight for years to come.
Intersting summary and excerpt make me want to read this novel. The title popped up when I read Lucy Foley’s The Wedding List’ an enticing book you won’t want to put down. Thank you..