“Original, deftly written, emotionally engaging, and a simply riveting read from start to finish.” – Midwest Book Review In real life Virginia Thorndike, the author’s mother, died of a drug and alcohol overdose at the age of 57. Here she recovers and fights to stay clean. Growing up, she was always the passionate sister, but now she hasn’t had a lover in years. Even when the devoted Lyle appears, she’s slow to open up to him. As passion returns, they grow close. “A luminous novel of recovery. Thorndike makes Ginny a complex, prickly, conflicted heroine, ashamed of her sins, apprehensive about her future, adrift and in search of redemption.” – Kirkus Reviews (starred review) When Ginny’s son Rob drives her home from rehab, he pours her gin and wine onto the lawn and clears her house of all drugs. Her older son Jamie and his gay lover Miles also come to help, but after Miles is diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease, Ginny must face her recovery alone through a cold and quiet winter. Ginny is a doctor, but in no shape to practice. In the spring she moves to Rob’s commune in Ohio, where his wife will give birth to twins, and abandon them a year later. “A marvel of imagination and creativity, not only in its premise but also in the author's writing, which is at times enchanting.... This "son's novel" is a true testament to the bond between mother and child.... A truly wonderful read.” -- US Review of Books “The Passionate Sister is a powerful and evocative tale of a woman’s struggle to rebuild her life and mend the bonds of family.... It's a beautifully crafted story.” – Readers’ Favorite Ginny embarks on a transformative journey, hoping to reclaim the vitality and love she once knew. The Passionate Sister is not just a story of recovery, but a vivid exploration of one woman’s resilience and courage. Review "A luminous novel of recovery.... Thorndike makes Ginny a complex, prickly, conflicted heroine, ashamed of her sins, apprehensive about her future, adrift and in search of redemption. Her story provides a vivid study of the psychic fragility of recovery, conveyed in haunting prose." -Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "The novel is a marvel of imagination and creativity, not only in its premise but also in the author's writing, which is at times enchanting." --US Review of Books" "There's a wistful intimacy to Thorndike's speculative autofiction, which reimagines a pivotal moment in his mother's life and grants her a second chance to connect with her adult children."—Booklife "John Thorndike is an insanely good novelist. He writes gorgeously, and his characters take on lives of their own under his deft hand." -Henry Shukman, author of Original Love: The Four Inns on the Path of Awakening "The Passionate Sister is a powerful and evocative tale of a woman's struggle to rebuild her life and mend the bonds of family....It's a beautifully crafted story." --Readers' Favorite "John Thorndike's finely wrought prose gleams in this boldly intimate fictional account of his mother's later years. In The Passionate Sister, the author imagines how his mother's life might have evolved had she not died of an alcohol and drug overdose at 57. Virginia Thorndike's complex relationships with her lovers and family are driven by a restless, life-long passion that she struggles to fully understand and control. The fictional characters in this story are searing in their realism. This is the work of a gifted author revealing his soul." ---Raul Ramos y Sanchez, author of Mustang to Paducah and The Skinny Years "A satisfying, rewarding, deeply human reading experience" -Indie Reader "In The Passionate Sister, John Thorndike tenderly reveals his mother as a middle-aged woman--the woman she would have become, had she overcome her addiction and lived." -Paul Kafka-Gibbons, author of Love [Enter] "Thorndike has written a character based on his own mother in order to create a road to redemption for her long after her death. To be human is to err and Ginny Thorndike has erred mightily as a wife, mother, and lover. In Thorndike's brilliant book we become her character and her struggle is our own, balancing between a life of immorality and a passion akin to that of spiritual goodness and sacrifice for others. It is not an exaggeration to say that there are only a handful of writers, male or female, who inhabit women characters as deeply and insightfully as does Thorndike as he transcends the usual for the unexpected. He is in a league with DH Lawrence and Gustave Flaubert." -Marnie Mueller, author of The Showgirl and the Writer "In The Passionate Sister, John Thorndike illuminates the ordinary with astonishing force. The lucky reader gets to experience loss, loneliness, joy, and redemption through one of the most fully realized characters in recent memory. Whether it's fiction, nonfiction, or a hybrid of the two, Thorndike writes beautifully about love and what it means to be human." —Rob Wilder, author of Nickel and Tales From