Tigers, Not Daughters by Samantha Mabry is the kind of story that digs its claws deep into you. Though just under 300 pages, Mabry crafts a profoundly character driven plot that explores grief, depression, and sisterhood.
After the death of the eldest Torres sister, Ana, the remaining sisters struggle to continue their lives in their stifling home. Jessica is working at a local pharmacy and dreams of leaving town once she can ensure her father and sisters are taken care of. Iridian spends all day in her family’s home, dreaming of writing and wrestling with trauma. Rosa is waiting for a sign, and though she is the youngest, she is the wisest of all the sisters. Before Ana’s death, the four Torres sisters longed to escape their San Antonio neighbourhood together, but now Jessica, Iridian, and Rosa are caught in a trap of grief. Then strange things start happening in their home and the sisters are left to wonder if Ana is truly haunting them and what she might be trying to tell them.
Mabry’s writing in Tigers, Not Daughters is somehow both stark and lyrical. She draws out deep emotions in her prose and not a single word feels wasted. While reading, you can feel the hot San Antonio air and the stifling environment of living in a small town and a broken home. Mabry expertly builds the normal world around the sisters and then slowly begins to break it down. The balance of routine life and the sudden paranormal events that begin to occur around the sisters lends just the right feel to an unnerving story.
Through the eyes of the three remaining Torres sisters and one seemingly small side character, we witness the slow unfurling of the sister’s secrets, dreams, and wishes. The story is told in a nonlinear way, that could be confusing at first, but enforces the broken feeling that each of the sisters experience. Grief is not always experienced in a linear way and Mabry’s choice to write the novel in this fashion shows an understanding of how differently people can process grief.
Each character in the story is achingly real, though it is the sisters that truly stand out. Rosa is wistful and innocent, with a hidden ferocity. Iridian’s whole character brings to mind someone silently screaming in pain without knowing how to stop. Jessica is full of broken glass and rage and so much hurt. And though Ana is dead, she slowly comes to life through the memories of each sister as a headstrong girl, trying to live her own life while taking care of her younger sisters their mother’s absence.
And while all the characters are well written, they are not always the best of people. One thing that stands out in this novel is that Mabry doesn’t absolve any characters of their wrong doings or poor behaviour, but acknowledges that this is how people are. We are messy and broken and do not always make the best decisions, especially when we are grieving. Some may argue that this is a young adult book and there are bad examples being set for youths, but writing books that feature nothing but altruistic, “good” characters is more damaging than writing characters that are true to human nature. Normalising the notion that we aren’t always our best selves and that’s okay is something that young adult novels should be doing more. If not, we ostracise those who may already be feeling alone in their grief or rage or depression.
Tigers, Not Daughters is a powerful story, filled with impactful characters and realistic depictions of grief and depression. Paired with its eerie paranormal elements, Tigers, Not Daughters will haunt your thoughts long after you’ve finished reading.
Tigers, Not Daughters is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers as of March 24th 2020.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
The Torres sisters dream of escape. Escape from their needy and despotic widowed father, and from their San Antonio neighborhood, full of old San Antonio families and all the traditions and expectations that go along with them. In the summer after her senior year of high school, Ana, the oldest sister, falls to her death from her bedroom window. A year later, her three younger sisters, Jessica, Iridian, and Rosa, are still consumed by grief and haunted by their sister’s memory. Their dream of leaving Southtown now seems out of reach. But then strange things start happening around the house: mysterious laughter, mysterious shadows, mysterious writing on the walls. The sisters begin to wonder if Ana really is haunting them, trying to send them a message—and what exactly she’s trying to say.
In a stunning follow-up to her National Book Award–longlisted novel All the Wind in the World, Samantha Mabry weaves an aching, magical novel that is one part family drama, one part ghost story, and one part love story.
