Letters from My Sister: On Life, Love and Hair Removal

Eve and Faye’s correspondence began with a simple letter about a bad job interview or bad hair day, seeking comfort from hundreds of miles away. As their adult lives unfolded, gender roles, career choices, and family relationships became fair game, subject to both scrutiny and hilarity as the Ledermans lovingly ridicule everyone in their path. In one letter, Faye laments, “Every time I apply mascara before an interview my eyelashes get all clumped together. I’m afraid if the interviewer catches my profile he’ll think I’m applying for the position of prostitute.” In another, Eve ponders their father’s ineptness. “If Mom left for the weekend, she’d return home to find Dad emaciated on the floor, tin cans strewn around with bite marks.” Ultimately, the sisters reassure each other that they are not alone in their search for the ultimate man (“a big, buff, macho, kind, sensitive, feminist”), the ideal job, or the perfect hair removal method. The Ledermans emerge as feisty, independent women who confront their femininity but aren’t confined by it. Instead, they are able to laugh long and hard at themselves, enticing and empowering readers to do the same.