Sisters of the Dream

A woman's right to sovereignty over her destiny and possessions, the difficulty of finding a compatible mate, wife-battering, the ravages of senility and Arizona's pristine beauty are among the topics in this lengthy, disjointed narrative which nevertheless contains some sensuous imagery and well-crafted prose. Liz Morrigan marries twice, has three children, and barely survives an unsuccessful love affair. With only memories and two cats for company, middle-aged Liz settles down in a remote area of Arizona to brood about her lost lover and contemplate her mistakes. Her solitude is short-lived, however, for new friends quickly populate her life: the abused ex-wife of a man who wants custody of their child; an elderly woman institutionalized by her mercenary relatives so they can plunder and sell her valuable Native-American artifacts; the invalid's Hopi nurse, a stressed, embittered woman with a drug-addicted husband. Frequently interrupting the story are Liz's dreams about Talasi, a Hopi girl living in primitive times who becomes Liz's ``pathstone'' because she bravely confronts adversity. Overburdened with Hopi, Navajo and Meso-American lore, these depressive dream sequences exacerbate the ambitious tale's lack of focus. Sojourner, however, effectively communicates the unquenchable strength of her beleaguered heroines. (Aug.)