Tigers, Not Daughters (Tigers, Not Daughters #1)

Four daughters live at home with their unreliable, irresponsible father. Then, the eldest daughter Ana falls off this mortal coil. The remaining daughters, Jessica, Iridian, and Rosa, grieve the death of their sister and wish to be anywhere else. Soon enough, the routine of grief and life is interrupted by strange events that begin occurring at home. Odd laughter, unsettling noises, and more begin to unravel the sisters’ reality.

The sisters believe that Ana is trying to speak to them from beyond the grave, but is that really what’s going on? Is this communication, or are the sisters actually in danger? These sisters are flawed and vulnerable, and they act authentically in their grief. Can they overcome their grief before it’s too late? Will they be able to escape the circling doom? These questions and more will race through your mind as Tigers, Not Daughters keeps you on the edge of your seat until the very last page.

I loved the story Samantha Mabry has written, and how the sisters’ grief echoes through each page. Each of the characters is fully realized and I found myself being pulled into their lives. As someone who’s lost a sibling, I found the grief both authentic and, for each sister, remarkably different, almost as if each sister represented a stage of grief embodied as a full character of expression. I felt the walls closing in on the sisters as the story delved further into their lives, and despite their agony I wished I could have spent more time with them. If you’re looking for an escape from the usual and the regular, join the Torres sisters as they descend into a unique, palpable experience you won’t soon forget.

If youre a reader and you ever want a good indication of how times have changed, think back to what you read as a young adult. Maybe it was Maya Angelous I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (perhaps not the best choice for this illustration) or even The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. Ive considered that perhaps as Ive gotten older my alarmist antennae has either shrunk or bent, but when I read Samantha Mabrys Tigers, Not Daughters, I wondered how I wouldve handled this at 12 or even 15? Yes, I wouldve read it but would I have been able to capture the textures or comprehend all the layers that Im now able to discern as an adult? Yes, I know Im digging a deeper hole but hear me out: Tigers, Not Daughters is that amazing. So amazing that Im almost jealous its YA.

I try to read at least one YA book a year to somewhat maintain a pulse on the genre; however, Tigers, Not Daughters, marks my third YA this year; the others Jacqueline Woodsons Brown Girl Dreaming (2014) and Jason Reynolds more recent (2019) Look Both Ways, are both engaging and excellent books. And clearly YA. Maybe Im missing the point as perhaps both skewed younger YA.

This has less to do with appropriateness than it does trauma.

Soon to be eighteen-year-old eldest sister Ana has died, which leaves her younger siblings, all sisters, Jessica, Iridian and Rosa, reeling.

Their mother died long ago and the sisters are left with their emasculated father, Rafe.

Author Samantha Mabry was to appear @sabookfest in April and although that didnt happen, I was able to catch a virtual session where she states Tigers, Not Daughters is told through the point of view of the remaining sisters; a year before the novel starts, Anna has fallen out of her bedroom window trying to sneak out of the house.

A year later, Ana is haunting the house. But why, whats the message? And why is Rosa fixated on finding an on-the-loose hyena? In San Antonio’s Southtown?

When I began reading, this felt eerily similar to The Virgin Suicides, a novel written in 1993 by Jeffrey Eugenides. Unfortunately, I havent read the book but I did see the 1999 movie directed by bad actor, fantastic director, Sofia Coppola in her feature directorial debut, starring James Woods, Kathleen Turner, Kirsten Dunst and Josh Hartnett. It was narrated by Giovanni Ribisi – and this is an important point as most of whats related to the viewer, is employed in Tigers; the story is mostly told through the lens of a friend of the boy who lives across the street from the Torres sisters.

That a book is able to evoke the atmosphere and intention of a film; painting it in its same broad swaths of gray is a gift. Mabry does give a nod to The Virgin Suicides in her acknowledgments.

In addition, tigers, not daughters, is a line from Shakespeares King Lear. Although Shakespeare hurled it as an insult, Mabry adapted it to mean something less harmful and something more beautiful.

TIGERS NOT DAUGHTERS is such a beautifully written and compelling story that many times I felt as if I were there with the Torres sisters. Mabry brings to life these characters with every word she writes. I loved the uniqueness of each of the sisters and how carefully their essence is woven into the fabric of their everyday life.

It is masterful how the author brings together the struggles and issues of the coming of age of these girls with the supernatural elements. There is a realness within the more magical moments and the presence of Ana. Then, there are Jessica, Iridian, and Rosa. These girls will take you on a journey with them as they try to figure out why all these strange things are happening.

Here is the thing. Yes. This book is technically geared for a teen or young adult audience, but truly, anyone can read and enjoy this book. The variety of characters and what they experience within these pages translates far beyond a specific age bracket. So, if you are looking for a great read about love, loss, growing up, and the bonds of sisterhood, this is the book for you. You will sit down and get to know the Torres sisters for the dynamic and wonderfully real girls they are. What a read!

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