Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

Well this is a first. I always have a lot to say about the books I read, my opinions on the writing (good or bad) and if I would recommend the book. But I have found a novel that left me…speechless. Not sure what to say, whether good or bad. Not even sure if I should recommend it to others.
I was looking forward to reading Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger, her sophomore novel after The Time Traveler’s Wife. I hadn’t read or seen the movie, but heard many good things and eagerly anticipated opening her latest. I was left feeling confused, unsettled, and plain unsure about what I just read. I always jot down my rating as soon as I finish a book, but I just stared blankly at my notebook, not sure what to write. Kind of like I am doing now for this review, except I’m at a computer.
The story begins with the untimely death of Elspeth, twin sister to Edie and lover to Robert. Aunt to young girls, Julia and Valentina, also twins. Elspeth requests in her will that the twin girls move from the States to London to live in her flat for a year. During their stay, the twins meet Elspeth’s ghost, befriend some odd characters, become fascinated with the neighboring cemetery, and start to grow apart as sisters. Valentina begins to feel she will never be her own person with her twin constantly in the picture, and she and Elspeth devise a morbid plan to change that. The ending had me shout aloud, a strangled noise actually escaped from lips, I was so shocked by the events taking place.
Niffenegger obviously has a talent for telling stories and creating so many unique characters throughout one novel. The plot is interesting, though I don’t have much interest for the supernatural topics. I thought about giving Her Fearful Symmetry a three rating, but decided to up it to a four. My reasoning behind that is, I simply couldn’t stop talking about the story! I called my mom, I told my boyfriend and his mom, I told co-workers…it really got me thinking and talking to many people I don’t normally discuss my readings with. I also looked on Amazon to see what other readers thought, and they were over 400 reviews! Seems everyone wanted to give their opinions, and the ratings were anywhere from a 1-5. If you have read Her Fearful Symmetry, I would love to get your feedback on the story, and if you haven’t, give it a try. You might love it, you might hate it, but I can guarantee most will be left wanting to talk about it!
Rating: 4/5