Book Review: The Girls by Lori Lansens - Page 2

Though infrequent, Ruby's contributions add layers of pathos and humour to Rose's unfolding narrative, and I found myself looking forward to the chapters, which are printed in a different typeface, though they need no such flag to differentiate their unique voices. Ruby reveals secrets her sister had left unsaid, secrets that are both heartbreaking and fascinating.

While they have separate brains, separate thoughts, separate personalities, Rose and Ruby could never be separated because they share a vital vein – a metaphor that's used to describe the relationship between the girls' adoptive parents, too, the irrepressible Aunt Lovey and the inscrutable Uncle Stash, who have their own secrets. Populated with other characters whose lives intersect with the girls', the book is about more than the uniqueness of the twins' lives, it's about the sometimes successful, sometimes futile search for connection in ordinary life.

The Girls is an absorbing story filled with humour and insight that kept me up long past my bedtime to read just one more chapter, then just one more. If it weren't for the sharp voices of Rose and Ruby Darlen that remained with me, I would have been even more bereft to reach the end.

Article Author: Diane Kristine Wild

Diane writes about boring things by day, pop culture things by night. She also runs the TV, Eh? website, a compilation of news about Canadian television. Follow her on Twitter @deekayw for more random thoughts.

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