Six years after the phenomenal success of The Time Traveler's Wife, Audrey Niffenegger has returned with a spectacularly compelling and haunting second novel set in and around Highgate Cemetery in London.
When Elspeth Noblin dies of cancer, she leaves her London apartment to her twin nieces, Julia and Valentina. These two American girls never met their English aunt, only knew that their mother, too, was a twin, and Elspeth her sister. Julia and Valentina are semi-normal American teenagers--with seemingly little interest in college, finding jobs, or anything outside their cozy home in the suburbs of Chicago, and with an abnormally intense attachment to one another.
The girls move to Elspeth's flat, which borders Highgate Cemetery in London. They come to know the building's other residents. There is Martin, a brilliant and charming crossword puzzle setter suffering from crippling Obsessive Compulsive Disorder; Marjike, Martin's devoted but trapped wife; and Robert, Elspeth's elusive lover, a scholar of the cemetery. As the girls become embroiled in the fraying lives of their aunt's neighbors, they also discover that much is still alive in Highgate, including--perhaps--their aunt, who can't seem to leave her old apartment and life behind.
When Elspeth Noblin dies of cancer, she leaves her London apartment to her twin nieces, Julia and Valentina. These two American girls never met their English aunt, only knew that their mother, too, was a twin, and Elspeth her sister. Julia and Valentina are semi-normal American teenagers--with seemingly little interest in college, finding jobs, or anything outside their cozy home in the suburbs of Chicago, and with an abnormally intense attachment to one another.
The girls move to Elspeth's flat, which borders Highgate Cemetery in London. They come to know the building's other residents. There is Martin, a brilliant and charming crossword puzzle setter suffering from crippling Obsessive Compulsive Disorder; Marjike, Martin's devoted but trapped wife; and Robert, Elspeth's elusive lover, a scholar of the cemetery. As the girls become embroiled in the fraying lives of their aunt's neighbors, they also discover that much is still alive in Highgate, including--perhaps--their aunt, who can't seem to leave her old apartment and life behind.
(from goodreads.com)
I rate this book 4.5 out of 5 stars
I have neither read nor seen the Time Traveler's Wife and my opinion on that storyline has nothing to do with why I chose to read this book.
This book was a little slow in the beginning. It took me a few days to get through the first few chapters, which I admit is mostly due to lack of sleep, but once I got past those first fifty pages or so, it was smooth sailing. It has everything that I enjoy in a story: suspense, drama, human emotions, some strange details that are so unrealistic they become believable in a fictional world, and a good, old fashioned ghost. I love the way the author weaves shiny strings of hope into the dismal lives of her characters so that by the end of the book you don't know who you're rooting for anymore.
The twins are a fantastic example of spoiled, sheltered girls. They begin the story as typical American post-teenagers who are pathetically dependant on each other and their parents. They have no concept of the future and have made no plans for themselves beyond breakfast and a morning television show. They are the same in appearance yet different in demeanor and personality and as the story unfolds, it is easy to find oneself charmed by both girls.
A maternal aunt bequeaths her fortune to the girls with the condition that they live in her apartment for a year before they sell it (if they choose to sell it) so off they go to London to experience new adventures in Highgate Cemetary. The people they meet are unusual, to say the least. They develop relationships and each girl begins to mature in her own way. The author cleverly displays different types of intimate relationships and it is easy to find yourself drawing comparisons between lovers, siblings, parents, and friends. I also enjoyed the way the author used humor to lighten the mood before adding a sinister note that makes you feel uneasy without being able to pinpoint why.
Overall, I thought it was very well written and I was happily drawn in by the characters and storyline. The only negative comments I have are that the beginning was a bit slow and the ending was a tad bit disappointing, but those things barely account for much when you consider the thorough enjoyment I derived from this fictional world of fantastical people.
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