I Just Listened To… Her Fearful Symmetry

--by Hanje Richards
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Although I enjoyed Audrey Niffenegger's Her Fearful Symmetry on CD, the Copper Queen Library has it available both on CD and in hardcover. A bit surprising for one (me) who is usually all about the science and the logical, this was a ghost story that I appreciated. This novel was written by the author of Time Traveler’s Wife, another book that plays with supernatural themes, and another book that I liked a lot.
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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 that Elspeth was 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.
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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.
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Niffenegger weaves a captivating story in Her Fearful Symmetry about love and identity, about secrets and sisterhood, and about the tenacity of life – even after death.
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If this is not a complete contradiction in terms, if you are looking for a well written, literary ghost story, with lots of twists and turns, then this might be just what you are looking for.
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Remember, using the library is always a green choice.
Happy Earth Day – 40th Anniversary.