THREE SISTERS

A day hike to spread their mother’s ashes becomes a fight for survival for three sisters after a volcanic eruption.

Following the recent death of their mother, responsible oldest sister Harper, STEM expert Ryker (just 16 months Harper’s junior), and 11-year-old burgeoning medic Jentry accompany their father to Central Oregon. Their mission is a solemn one: to scatter their mother’s ashes on the summit of South Sister, a mountain in the iconic Three Sisters range. The already emotionally charged journey quickly morphs into a desperate fight for survival. Just as the family reaches the summit, a catastrophic seismic event rocks the mountain, triggering massive landslides and opening fissures as ash rains down upon the party. Thrust into a perilous descent, the family members’ heightened emotions become a catalyst for action. With a lengthy government shutdown hampering rescue efforts, they must rely on their individual strengths to navigate the treacherous, disintegrating landscape and make it back alive. Grief over Mom’s death three months earlier is integral to each character’s motivations. Gill effectively draws parallels between the three sisters and their counterparts, the three peaks; each girl is fiercely independent, yet each would be incomplete without the others. The sisters’ relationship is well-developed and realistic—their continuous bickering highlights a lived-in history, emphasizing the unbreakable bonds forged by their combined strength. The tension escalates believably as the perils stack upon one another. The main characters present white.

A gripping survival story unfolding under the shadow of profound loss.