The fragile bonds of family: a review of Betsy Lerner’s 'Shred Sisters'

Betsy Lerner’s 'Shred Sisters' is written with such verve and poetic imagination that it’s hard to fathom how it could be the author’s first novel. Ms. Lerner, 64, has worked for three decades as a literary agent, editor, and non-fiction writer, but at some point during the Covid pandemic — without any forethought — she sat down and typed out the first line of the novel exactly as it now appears in the book, and then completed it without telling anyone what she was up to.
The novel takes place over twenty years — from the 1970s into the ’90s — and is a kind of guide for that era. It reads like a memoir accompanied by some bouncy dialogue, but is actually a work of what’s called autofiction in which Lerner mixes her own experiences — including her own struggle with mental illness — with things she simply makes up. The fictional narrator is Amy Shred, the younger of two sisters in an upper-middle-class, secular Jewish family living in the suburbs of New Haven, Connecticut.
What begins as the older sister Ollie’s impulsiveness, rebelliousness and unpredictable outbursts expands logarithmically in intensity and severity until she reaches her teens and starts disappearing from home for long stretches of time. Soon she falls into that special circle of Hell reserved for the mentally ill — drugs, sleeping on the street, random hookups, sex work, petty thievery and grand larceny. Because her parents can afford it, she spends long periods of time in a private psychiatric hospital, but to no avail.
Ollie’s mental illness leads to multiple chaotic events within the Shred family, all narrated by Amy, who simultaneously loves, loathes, and fears her sister. At times, Amy reveals herself to be almost as self-centered and self-deluded as Ollie. Yet Lerner brings empathy to all her characters’ plights, and never romanticizes or medicalizes Ollie’s life. My only quibble in the author’s otherwise superb wordsmanship is with her overuse of similes. Hers are individually imaginative and powerful, sometimes even brilliant — e.g., “…his arm hooking me like the long cane in a vaudeville act,” or “the magnolias now in full plumage like fat ostriches” — but with so many of them, their impact is weakened.
On Amy’s account, she and Ollie couldn’t be more different. Ollie is the beautiful, charming child who grows into a beautiful adult who uses that beauty and charm to manipulate her parents, strangers, lovers, doctors, the police and even, on occasion, her sister. Amy, on the other hand, is decidedly not beautiful. But her intelligence, passion for science and inner drive to excel propel her forward — to college and then a fellowship in a science lab. It’s then that she meets the first love of her life, who turns out to be almost as messed up and exploitative as her sister. Eventually, Amy pivots away from science — as well as her first love — and lands a job in publishing, while Ollie moves about among various lovers, erratically showing up only when she needs something.
In a virtual talk with the author sponsored by Hotchkiss Library of Sharon, in collaboration with Essex Library Association and Darien Library on Thursday, Jan. 16, Ms. Lerner said, “Shred Sisters is a coming-of-age novel that took me about 45 years to write.” It’s also a compassionate and compelling story about the complex nature of sisterly love in the face of the terrorizing nature of mental illness. At first glance, it might seem its appeal is only to women, but anyone will find it translates into a story about sibling relationships in general, as well as the exhaustion that comes with living in any fragile family.
Laurie Fendrich is an abstract painter, professor emerita at Hofstra University and vice-president of American Abstract Artists. She lives in Lakeville.
Habitat for Humanity assisted in the construction and sale of this house at 14 Rudd Pond Road for $392,000.
MILLERTON — Official Dutchess County property transfers for the four months ending in May are fascinating from the sale of the former Presbyterian Church on Main Street for $420,000 to the $300,000 sale of 8.3 acres of the historic Perotti farm for $300,000 where major barn restoration is now underway.
Actively listed properties at the end of July include 14 parcels of land ranging in price from $60,000 for a five-acre lot to six parcels over a million dollars. 15 single family homes are on the market including an $11,750,000 estate on Moadock Road and four village homes for under $500,000.
Residential
14 Rudd Pond Road — 3 bedroom/2 bath home on .64 acres sale recorded in March for $392,000 to Anthony M. Macagnone.
81 Rudd Pond Road — 3 bedroom/2 bath home on .45 acres recorded in April for $360,300 to Sara Whitney Laser.
926 Smithfield Road — Historic house and barns on 8.31 acres sale recorded in May for $300,000 to Colonial House & Barn LLC.
5408 Route 22 — 3 bedroom/2 bath home on 5.38 acres sale recorded in May for $465,000 to Erich McEnroe.
The former Presbyterian Church on Main Street in the Village of Millerton was purchased in May for $420,000 and then pained grey.Christine Bates
Commercial
1 Smith Court, Village of Millerton — Office building sale recorded in March for $825,000 to OneJohnStreet LLC.
58 Main Street, Village of Millerton — Sale of former church recorded in May for $420,000 to 58 Main Street LLC.
5546 Route 22 — Sale of former restaurant on 2 acres recorded in May for $70,000 to Haithem Oueslati Trustee.
Land
State Line Road (#789358) — Sale recorded of 20.82 acres of vacant residential land in March for $150,000 to Elliott Squared LLC.
148 Morse Hill — Sale recorded of 30.03 acres of vacant productive farm land in 5 parcels in March for $800,000 to Thorne Water LLC.
*Town of North East and Village of Millerton property transfers from March through May not previously reported as sales in The Millerton News are sourced from Dutchess County Real Property Office monthly reports for March through May. Details on property from Dutchess Parcel Access. Compiled by Christine Bates, Real Estate Advisor with William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty, Licensed in Connecticut and New York.
MILLERTON — Heavy rain brought down trees on Park Avenue, South Center Street and Century Boulevard, causing blackouts across the village on Friday, July 25.
The Millerton Moviehouse cancelled film showings for the afternoon following the outages, as stated in a release sent out to Moviehouse supporters over email Friday afternoon.
Village Clerk Lisa Cope said the downed trees landed on power lines, causing localized blackouts for many village residents and businesses between 3 and 6 p.m. Friday evening.
Central Hudson crews cleared the trees and restored power to the village that evening.