Sisters of Fortune: three sisters at the crossroads of family tradition and their modern dreams

Sisters of Fortune by Esther Chehebar is a story of three sisters as they search for love and a place in the world all along with the growing pains of adulthood. From a Syrian Jewish family, living in Brooklyn, the Cohen sisters find themselves in a tug of war between tradition and modern society, between what their community expects and what they want for themselves. Nina, the eldest sister, is happily single at 26 and ignores the talk of spinstership. Fortune, the middle sister, is engaged but wonders if she truly wants to marry her fiancé. Lucy, the youngest sister, is a senior at her yeshiva high school, and begins a relationship with an older man. Adding to the tug of war, their charismatic grandmother, Sitto, who fled Syria in 1992 and their mother, Sally, who is anxious about her daughters’ futures. Can the sisters truly find happiness while managing family tradition and their own dreams? 

In her debut novel, author Esther Chehebar writes a coming of age story about dating, ambition and the immigrant community. Described as “hilarious” and “heart-warming,” Sisters of Fortune has themes of remembering where family comes from and looking forward to where they are going. While there were humorous moments; however, the story did not have much going on. The family dynamics were interesting as I have not read many books with Syrian immigrants; but I was bored with the sisters themselves. The story features each sister’s point of view. I feel Fortune and Nina had the most growth in the story. I felt for Fortune as she is unsure of marriage and feels inadequate. Nina feels the pressure to marry. Lucy’s story was just uncomfortable. Overall, the story wasn’t the hilarious, heart-warming coming of age story I was expecting. However, I do recommend readers check out Sisters of Fortune as it may speak to them in ways it did not speak to me. 

Sisters of Fortune is available in hardcover, eBook and audiobook