Book Report

I have a bad habit of staying up half the night reading and I'm really no good without at least eight hours of sleep. But, the night before last, around 11pm, I decided I would let myself read just the first chapter of Marcy Dermansky's debut novel TWINS before bed. Of course, I didn't get my eight hours that night. I simply couldn't stop after just one chapter. I had to find out how Chloe and Sue would survive their tumultuous coming of age. Depending on who was narrating (they both took turns), I found myself rooting a bit for one over the other. In the end, though, I wanted them both to succeed. Identity is a curious thing. I've experienced for myself how traumatic yet amazing sisterhood can be and also how our roles (the "smart" one, the "pretty" one) can be so limiting, so often completely wrong, and yet so hard to escape. Dermansky's novel is like a really good therapy session, painful at times--it will break your heart--but cathartic and ultimately rewarding.