8 Books to Read with Your Sister

They were just a simple pair of jeans, purchased at a thrift shop and first worn by Carmen. Faded and splattered with paint, they didn’t seem like anything special, until four friends discover their magic. When Carmen decides to toss the over-worn denim, her friend Tibby says she’ll take them. Lena and Bridget think they’re pretty great, too, so they all try them on to decide who gets them. Surprisingly, this one pair of ratty jeans fits all four friends, so they make a vow and form the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, passing them to each other when each friend needs a little bit of magic, and creating a summer they’ll never forget. A charming book about the bonds of sisterhood, this book is perfect to read with your own sister, by blood or otherwise.

A timeless book about female sexuality, Jong’s writing still rings true for women over 40 years later. Isadora Wing is a 29-year-old poet struggling to find her place in the world—and in her marriage—confronting readers with questions about love, life, happiness, and the intersection of the three. The importance of this novel lies in the ways in which it reveals the female mind, the dilemmas, fears, worries, and concerns that plague many women as they make their way through adulthood. The discussion and conversations will be even more enjoyable when read alongside your sister.

Kate and Violet aren’t your typical identical twins—they share psychic abilities, a gift which they discovered as children. Now adults, the sisters have dealt with this secret power in very different ways. Vi pursued a career as a psychic medium, while Kate chose the path of wife and mother. After a tragic event hits their hometown, each sister is forced to confront their past—and their relationship with each other. Beautifully written, Sittenfeld asks: what obligation do we have toward others, especially our sisters?

With their father at war and their mother doing her best to support the family, the March sisters—Jo, Meg, Beth, and Amy—have to rely on each other, despite their differences. A heartwarming classic about family and the bonds that can’t be broken, this is the perfect book to read with your sister, whether it’s for the first time or the fifth.

A modern-day—and unsettling—take on Snow White, Helen Oyeyemi’s novel centers on Boy Novak, a young white girl from an abusive home who flees to Massachusetts to start a new life. It’s there she meets and marries Arturo Whitman, becoming stepmother to his enchantingly beautiful daughter, Snow. But the real story is revealed when Boy gives birth to a dark-skinned daughter, exposing the Whitmans as African Americans passing for white. A story of identity and family, this novel highlights the sometimes fraught relationship between sisters.

Best friends and sisters Pearl and May have it all: beauty, wealth, admiration. But their life is about to change in ways they never imagined. When they learn their father has squandered their small fortune, the girls are sold into marriages and shipped off to America. Pearl and May’s complex relationship is tested when jealousies are revealed and secrets uncovered, leaving them to cling to each other, whether they want to or not.

From the outside, the Cookes look like an ordinary family: mom, dad, and three kids (Lowell, Fern, and Rosemary). Rosemary is our narrator and soon reveals just how unordinary they really are when we learn that her twin sister, Fern, is in fact a chimpanzee who lived with the Cookes for many years as part of an experiment. We also learn that Fern disappeared when she was 5. A haunting story of a family’s grief that slowly unfolds, you won’t soon forget these characters.

It’s possible to love someone but not like them very much. This is how the Weird sisters feel about each other. And after each returning to their childhood home to care for their sick mother, they’re surprised—and disappointed—to find the others there. Forced to confront their grievances, as well as themselves, the sisters get more than they bargained for… and more than they ever expected. Whether your sister is your best friend or your frenemy, this book will help you realize you’re not alone in your complicated feelings.