Summary
Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors explores the bonds of sisterhood amid loss and addiction. The story centers on three sisters—Avery, Bonnie, and Lucky—gathering on the anniversary of their sister Nicky's death. While each faces individual challenges, the sisters remain connected by their shared grief and sense of family.
Plot
In Blue Sisters, three sisters—Avery, Bonnie, and Lucky—navigate personal and shared grief following the death of their sibling, Nicky, from an accidental fentanyl overdose. Nicky's death was compounded by her struggle with chronic endometriosis.
A year later, each sister confronts their own challenges. Avery, the oldest, is a lawyer in London managing inner conflict and an affair. Bonnie, a former boxer working as a bouncer in Los Angeles, returns to New York bearing the trauma of finding Nicky's body. Their emotionally distant mother proposes selling their childhood apartment, prompting a reunion.
Lucky, the youngest sister, copes with a self-destructive cycle of substance use behind her modeling career in Paris. During a visit to Avery in London, her behavior strains family ties further.
The sisters gather in New York, where shared difficulties strengthen their bond, despite underlying tensions. A confrontation prompts introspection and personal growth. Bonnie opens to new love. Lucky begins recovery. Avery reconciles her marriage and aspirations. A decade later, the epilogue presents renewed hope and resilience in each sister’s life.
Key characters
Avery Blue: The eldest sister, Avery assumes a caretaking role at a young age. After overcoming heroin addiction, she builds a successful career as a lawyer and makes a life in London with her spouse, Chiti. Despite her achievements, Avery deals with unresolved grief and family obligations, which at times, lead to self-destructive choices.
Bonnie Blue: The middle sister, a former professional boxer, Bonnie works as a nightclub bouncer in Los Angeles. She experiences guilt over Nicky's death, believing she failed to protect her sibling.
Lucky Blue: The youngest sister, a high-fashion model in Paris, Lucky uses partying and substance abuse to cope with Nicky's death. Eventually, she seeks help for her addictions and starts her recovery journey.
Nicky Blue (Posthumous): Nicky’s death significantly affects her sisters, prompting them to reunite in New York and confront their grief. She is remembered for her joyful demeanor and the stability she provided to the family.
Themes
Grief
In Blue Sisters, Coco Mellors explores how grief affects sibling dynamics. Following the death of their sister Nicky, the three surviving sisters, Avery, Bonnie, and Lucky, face various emotions. The author depicts grief as a multifaceted experience and complex set of feelings that influences each sister differently. The eldest sister, Avery assumes the role of caregiver, feeling the burden of responsibility as she strives to stay composed for her sisters. Bonnie experiences self-blame and survivor’s guilt. Lucky copes with grief through escapism. Her reckless actions and eventual self-realization demonstrate how denial can delay addressing internal conflict and the process of healing.
Family trauma
Blue Sisters reflects the toll of family trauma on all four of the Blue sisters. Their father’s alcoholism affects the lives and struggles of Avery, Bonnie, Lucky, and the deceased Nicky. Avery deals with personal recovery and sobriety, illustrating the challenges of overcoming addiction. Lucky experiences a tumultuous lifestyle and dabbles in substance abuse in an attempt to cope. Nicky’s death from fentanyl-laced medication underscores the impact of untreated trauma. This tragic event forces the sisters to face their strained relationships during a reunion in New York. Depicting the complex dynamics of the Blue sisters, Coco Mellors reveals how addiction and recovery interact within families.
Sisterhood
Blue Sisters examines sisterhood through the experiences of Avery, Bonnie, and Lucky Blue, linked by the loss of their sister Nicky. The novel explores the inherent connection between sisters, comparing it to an umbilical cord. Coco Mellors looks at jealousy, love, resentment, and the enduring bonds surpassing friendship. Avery, as the eldest, acts as the family's protector. Her struggle with sobriety while grappling with grief exposes her vulnerability. Bonnie, positioned between Avery and Lucky, often goes unnoticed, reflecting the mediator’s role in families. Lucky's impulsive nature contrasts with her sisters' efforts to maintain stability. Coco Mellors captures these sibling dynamics, depicting the tensions and tenderness in family bonds. The characters' interactions offer a portrayal of sisterhood, presenting both its strengths and weaknesses.
Quick facts
Blue Sisters opens with the powerful line, “A sister is not a friend.”
The story centers on Avery, Bonnie, and Lucky Blue reuniting to clean out their childhood apartment on the anniversary of their sister Nicky's death.
Each sister has an extreme lifestyle: Avery is a corporate lawyer in London, Bonnie is a former boxer and bouncer in Los Angeles, and Lucky is a model in Paris.
Coco Mellors immersed herself in sensory experiences, including training as a boxer, to authentically capture each sister's voice and experiences.
The novel explores themes of grief, addiction, and sisterhood, addressing the impact of Nicky's fatal overdose linked to endometriosis pain management.
Avery Blue overcame heroin addiction, attended law school, and has a photographic memory, notably memorizing her classmates' Social Security numbers.
The sisters' complex personas and their emotional struggles with grief and addiction provide a detailed, emotionally powerful narrative.
Blue Sisters has been compared to Little Women for its portrayal of family bonds and to The Royal Tenenbaums for its colorful characters.
The novel features alternating chapters and shifting perspectives among the three surviving sisters, offering multidimensional storytelling.
Though largely set in New York around the anniversary of Nicky’s death, Blue Sisters also moves between London, Los Angeles, and Paris.
Blue Sisters quickly became a New York Times bestseller and was selected as a Read With Jenna book.
Writing style
In Blue Sisters, Coco Mellors employs a storytelling approach that examines sisterhood and grief. Mellors alternates between the sisters' perspectives, presenting both intimate moments and broader reflections. She uses detailed language to depict each sibling's personal and shared challenges. The narrative examines shifts in viewpoint and chronology, offering a comprehensive picture of their experiences. Through description and dialogue, Mellors presents scenes of heartache and healing, such as the sisters' reunion in New York City. Her treatment of addiction and loss adds complexity to the depiction of family bonds.
About the author
Coco Mellors is an author of contemporary fiction. Originally from London, she moved to New York City as a teenager and went on to pursue an MFA in fiction at New York University. Her debut novel, Cleopatra and Frankenstein (2022) became a Sunday Times bestseller and was adapted for television. Her second novel, Blue Sisters (2024) explores family dynamics and sibling bonds, influenced by her own relationship with her sister, Daisy Bell.
