WHAT MY SISTER REMEMBERED

The author of a score of popular and perceptive books captures interest from the first page of a story about the reunion of two sisters—Beth, 13, and Molly, ll—separated since their parents' accidental death eight years before. Molly, adopted by her aunt, Karen, and raised in a modest N.Y.C. apartment, tells how she has always envied Beth's luck: adopted by the nurse who cared for her after the accident, she lives an affluent life in San Francisco. When Beth and her mother turn up in New York, no one is at ease. Beth, especially, is edgy: at one moment, a spoiled brat; the next, bright and charming—but never to Karen or Molly, both objects of her animosity; Karen, too, is uncharacteristically nervous. As hours go by, Beth mentions more things she remembers from years ago; when the entire extended family gathers for a meal, an innocent question from older brother Jeff's new friend precipitates an outburst from Beth about the long-ago cause of her distress, which leads to several interrelated revelations, surprising but plausible. The first part of the book may be a little long, but it builds a firm foundation for the dramatic last scene, both in the many deft characterizations and in the curiosity aroused by Beth's hints about her memories. The conclusion is especially satisfying because unmasking these secrets leads, believably, to the dispelling of blame and some real reconciliations. Well wrought and entertaining. (Fiction. 10-14)