Like.Opinion:
I found this novel entertaining, but fairly slow paced for the most part. The last hundred pages of this four-hundred page work moved at a significantly faster rate of action and development; however, they also felt a little more predictable.
I loved the character development and Niffenegger's masterful ability to weave detailed stories within one plot.
Overall, I felt the story was very creative, captivating, and enjoyable.
Recommend: Yes
Read Again: No
* * *
Author: Audrey Niffenegger
Characters:
Valentina - twin sister of Julia; "mouse" by Julia; lover of Robert; daughter of Edie and Jack; has asthma attacks; naturally dislikes crowds and the general outside.
Julia - twin sister of Valentina; dominant twin; self-appointed caretaker of Martin; explorer by nature; less liked of the twins.
Robert - lover of Elspeth and Valentina; lives below Julia and Valentina; volunteer tour guide at Highgate Cemetery; historian.
Elspeth - twin sister of Edie; lover of Robert; real mother of Valentina and Julia; real name is Edwina (Edie); resides in London; dead (ghost).
Edie - twin sister of Elspeth; wife of Jack; acting mother of Valentina and Julia; real name is Elspeth; resides in America.
Jack - husband of Edie; father of Julia and Valentina.
Martin- husband of Marijke; suffers intense OCD and depression; friend of Julia; lives above Julia and Valentina; crossword puzzle maker; father of Theo.
Marijke - wife of Martin; mother of Theo; leaves Martin to reside in Amsterdam.
Theo - son of Martin and Marijke; friend of Julia.
Jessica - wife of James; friend and boss of Robert; manager of Highgate Cemetery.
Extra Brief Summary:
Twin sisters Valentina and Julia inherit the London flat of their aunt, Elspeth, after her death. However, there are stipulations: 1) the girls must live there together for one year before selling it; 2) no part of the inheritance can benefit Elspeth's sister and the girls' mother, Edie; 3) Edie and her husband Jack are not permitted to set foot in the flat or inspect its contents. The girls are nervous, especially Valentina, but leave their parents for an adventurous year in England.
During a short time of exploring their new home, Valentina's sensitive nature becomes aware of Elspeth's presence in the flat. At first the presence was just a feeling for Valentina, but as Elspeth strengthens her ghostly abilities she begins communicating with the girls, and her lover, Robert.
As time goes on, Valentina rebels against the dominate nature of her sister, Julia. The twins, who have dressed and behaved identically their entire lives, drift apart. Julia turns to caring for their upstairs neighbor, Martin, who's OCD drives him to obsessive cleaning. Valentina pursues a relationship with Robert, in spite of his being much older than her.
Julia gives Martin meds and tells him they're vitamins. She hopes he can become well enough to seek after his wife in Amsterdam who left him because of his problems.
Valentina also turns to her correspondence with Elspeth for comfort, and to attempt to discover their mother's hidden family secret. During one of their times together, Elspeth accidentally pulls Valentina's cat's soul out, but quickly returns it before permanently killing the cat. While this surprises both Elspeth and Valentina, Valentina turns to this power as the answer to her problems with Julia.
Valentina creates a plan where Elspeth with take her soul, and then with the help of Robert to retrieve her body will return her soul to her body after the funeral. Valentina hoped she could die in the eyes of her family, and they continue living without the oppressive supervision of her sister.
Although both Elspeth and Robert refuse initially, for their own reasons, they commit to follow through with the detailed outline of Valentina's plan of resurrection.
Elspeth takes Valentina's soul, causing her to die. Robert makes arrangements for her body.
Lost in the grief of what he's done and the fear of their plan being unsuccessful, Robert goes in search of answers from Elspeth's diaries--answers to the family secrets that had destroyed Elspeth and Edie's relationship years earlier.
In Elspeth's papers, Robert found a letter addressed to him written by Elspeth just before her death. She tells him her one secret.
When Elspeth and Edie were much younger, Elspeth was engaged to Jack, and man Edie highly disliked. To test Jack's ability to tell them apart and his commitment to her alone, Elspeth pretended to be Edie and came on to Jack under the name of her sister. Jack, although he saw through the game, played along with the switch and became romantically involved with "Edie," his own Elspeth. The joke goes so far, he marries Elspeth under her sister's name, and the girls continue to believe he doesn't know of their switch. However, one night, while drunk, Jack and the real Edie (Jack believing her to be his wife, and Edie being herself and not living her fake name "Elspeth.") sleep together, and she becomes pregnant with twins. Yet, because Jack is drunk, he does not remember this night and does not connect this as the reason for them switching after the wedding. To continue covering their false lives, the pregnant sister takes on the role of wife until the babies are four months old and the women switch back, still believing Jack to know nothing of their secret. In the end, the women spend the rest of their lives under their switched identities, one staying in London and the other moving to America to secure their secret, the babies never know their aunt to be their real mother, and Jack is left hurt not knowing the point of their life-long lie.
After discovering this, Robert shares the information with Jack.
Robert follows through with his responsibility pertaining to Valentina's body, and nervously anticipates the return of his lover, while simultaneously hating himself for being a participant in her death.
He takes her body to the flat for Elspeth to return her spirit. After gasps for air, Valentina appears to come back to life.
Shortly, Robert realizes it is not Valentina in the body, but Elspeth who placed herself inside Valentina's body.
Julia develops a healed relationship with Valentina's ghost and helps free her from the confines of the flat.
Martin successfully travels to Amsterdam, in spite of much anxiety.
Elspeth becomes pregnant, and shortly after the birth of the baby Robert disappears.
Pages: 401
