The Vane Sisters

The Vane Sisters
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The Vane Sisters
“In no time, she “fixed” two highballs while never parting with Sybil’s notebook – by now
splashed with soda water and tears – and went on studying the death
message…” (Nabokov, 1959
After discovering Sybil’s suicide note in her copybook, the narrator immediately rings her sister, who informs him that Sybil was already dead: she killed herself that morning. Surprisingly, Cynthia was proud of her sister’s whimsical use of a French literature exam to write about her decision to take her own life in the aftermath of an affair with D. (the narrator’s teaching colleague). It is here that Cynthia made two highballs (a mixed alcoholic drink containing base spirit topped with soda water) for herself and the narrator. Cynthia turned to drink as she tried to come to terms with the suicide note she kept s...