Finished! Well when I say I’ve finished I mean I’ve finished reading it but I’ve not stopped thinking about it.
Twin Truths by Shelan Rodger
A psychological suspense drama with a double twist
Like many twins, Jenny and Pippa often know what the other is thinking. They complete each other’s sentences. In fact, in many ways they complete each other. So what happens when one of them disappears? Vividly set in Argentina, Greece and the UK, and strong on absorbing characters and shocking incident, Twin Truths is a powerful and beautifully written meditation on identity and the impact of trauma.
Having been sent a review copy by the lovely people at Cutting Edge Press I set about reading Twin Truths by Shelan Rodger. Nowhere, absolutely nowhere, did it say “you will wolf this down, won’t be able to sleep and when you’ve read it you will look at the book as if you’ve been possessed”. Maybe I look like that normally so just ignore the possessed bit, but the rest is true! Oh so very true.
From the first few lines “They say drowning is a good way to die, that panic quickly gives way to the best high you’ll ever have, but I don’t believe it” I was hooked and it was obvious I was going to have to cut myself off from the world or become nocturnal, I think I probably did a bit of both! It’s an amazing story and I’m sure that this review will not do it justice, but I’m telling you to read it and then you will see why!
Righto, so Twin Truths is a story of twins Pippa and Jenny. Jenny is mourning Pippa and has run away, she lies a lot, confuses everyone, infuriates people and is in therapy with Ignacio who is patient and frustrated, both in his own life and in his working relationship. Dangerous. I didn’t overly warm to Ignacio to begin with, I don’t know why but then at around chapter 74 I did.
What do you mean 74 chapters? Well actually there are 77 chapters, which was great, with short bursts of twists and OH? which added to the mood of punchy, moody, intriguing and pyshological! The book is in 3 parts. One part for each twin and the final part for closure for want of a better word. The characters are complex, the twins are so close yet there’s a gulf, the alcoholic mother annoyed me immensely and the stepfather was vile “this is my mother and this isn’t my father” are very angry lines and say it all really.
As I galloped towards the end taking big deep breaths to a) stop myself from fainting and b) to wipe my itchy eyes I cried, cheered, laughed and quite possibly looked a snivelling wreck. Then I got to the end. Wow. Gosh. Blimey crikey. What a dark meaty first book for Shelan Rodger. One for your summer holiday reading pile I assure you!
Thank you Cutting Edge Press for sending me a review copy and thank you Shelan Rodger for writing it.