Claire's Head

Claire's Head, Catherine Bush's third novel, is about three sisters. Two (Rachel and Claire) suffer from migraines, one (Allison) does not. Their parents died in an accident, something to do with airplanes but we're not told what, exactly. Claire is a cartographer in Toronto. She fears for Rachel who has disappeared without a trace and embarks on a search for her. Claire follows Rachel's trail from Montreal, to Amsterdam, to Italy, Las Vegas and Mexico. She suffers physical pain and puts her relationship with her partner, Stefan, at risk in the process. Allison, the sister who does not experience headaches and is the most stable of the three, stays home to care for her own children and Rachel's daughter, Star.

This novel is about pain, how much one can bear and how it affects lives and choices. It is well written and a bit offbeat, the way I prefer my fiction.
Ages ago I read Bush's Minus Time (about a middle aged female astronaut and her family) and The Rules of Engagement (about a modern day duel) and I recommend both of them. It took me a long time to get around to reading this one but I'm glad I did.