Finished Her Fearful Symmetry

Her Fearful Symmetry: A Novel by Audrey Niffenegger


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book was unusual right from the beginning. I have never heard of mirror image twins before, and I don’t know if they actually exist but the idea of two people coming out that way is disconcerting. Audrey Niffenegger did a great job as always of describing almost every nuance of each character’s life, even the ghost Elspeth/Edie. The beginning of the novel gives no foreshadowing of what eventually happens, and I was unsettled to say the least. I don’t want to give anything away, but I just could not come to terms with what happens at the denouement of this gripping book. It pains me to know that the only characters who end up happy are Martin and Marijke. Even though I wasn’t thrilled with how everything played out, I still think this book deserves 4 out of 5 stars just because of Audrey Niffenegger’s ability to write really compelling characters. I think the EW review (which was a C+) was a little harsh; I would give this book a straight B grade. There is absolutely no comparison to her prior work, ‘The Time Traveler’s Wife,’ which I LOVED. I think she still did a great job telling another completely unique story.

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Here is the EW review.