> As for the sister, you have a point there.

Not really. It may not work on an entirely realistic level, but it works on a dramatic level. (It's not really symbolic, since it doesn't symbolize anything other than what it is.) The prose is pretty effective.

My attitude is about realism in writing is that every new author should train themselves to write realistically, and then, upon succeeding there, refuse to be bound by it and instead gleefully cast realism aside when something can work better some other way. Ultimately it just depends on what you're trying to do with what you're writing. Personal style comes into it, too.

Anyway, good job.