Riding the Bus with My Sister

Riding the Bus with my Sister by Rachel Simon

Reviewed by Claudine

Very few books moved me as much as this one did.

This real life story revolves around Rachel Simon and the bus rides which she took for a year with her intellectually disabled sister, Beth. At first glance at the book blurb, you’d wonder what you can get out of bus rides since our experiences of bus rides here in Singapore are mundane and we don’t even bother to look at the driver most of the time! But I was amazed by how the lives of the drivers criss crossed with those of Rachel and Beth and influenced their perspectives on life. You see, the drivers in this story aren’t just drivers. They are also drivers with a life story and philosophy to share with riders on the bus during the long journeys, touching the lives of the sisters and mine as well as I read about their personal struggles.

The story also traces Rachel’s relationship with Beth, from distant discomfort and disdain to a somewhat touching if not, precarious, harmony between them towards the end of the book. What I like is Rachel’s honesty about her feelings which she doesn’t attempt to mask or package to portray herself as noble or carry the ‘Applaud me for the effort I spend on my sister” kind of tone. She admits readily that some of the feelings towards her sister aren’t positive in the least and she is not proud of them. In other words, she is not some superwoman - only human, just like the rest of us.

She includes flashbacks into her family’s past, recalling key incidents in their lives which serve to highlight the turmoil and emotions when you have a disabled member in the family. You empathise with the struggles and sacrifices Rachel makes to try to understand her sister and what makes her spirited sister tick. Yet at the same time, you learn from Beth - what it means to be regarded as different in a world where disabilities are still taboo and how she fights and responds with gusto against such discrimination and develops her own particular brand of outlook on life. You can’t help but develop a deep seated admiration and affection for her despite her eccentricities. Beth transforms not only the lives of the drivers, the lonely and confused life of her writer sister but anyone who reads this book as well. I certainly was.

This is one book I see myself reading over and over again.

You can learn more about this book from http://www.rachelsimon.com/
It is definitely worth the buy! If you are on a budget, borrow it from the Orchard library.