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 Elspeth 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.
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.
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.
I was very excited to receive this ARC. I did enjoy The Time Traveler’s Wife
- Elspeth not your typical ghost
- Robert still in love with what he has lost
- Julia and Valentina spoiled twenty-year old American twins
- Martin suffering from extreme OCD
- Marijke strained to the point of no return from dealing with Martin
I have to say that one of my favorite side story-lines was between Martin and Marijke. I had such compassion for Martin yet understood why Marijke was incapable of living with such a debilitating disorder even though it may mean losing the love of her life. The love between this couple was palpable. There is a particular moment when they are “out” to dinner that was beautiful. Another was between Julia and Martin. Julia was not a very appealing character – spoiled, bossy, pouty – but she emerged as so much more as her relationship with Martin progressed. She became complex and would surprise me with her reactions to particular situations.
The minor players (Robert’s co-workers, Elspeth’s twin Edie who happens to be Julia and Valentina’s mother) add to the overall mood and structure of the plot and provide for some major twists and turns. Even the names flavored the story.
The setting was just as important. The descriptions of the shops the twins explored and the bustle of trying to enter and exit the Tube (subway) left me aching to plan my next adventure. I have such a clear picture of the building where these people resided with it’s courtyard and view of the cemetery. The smallest detail was not overlooked including wardrobe and place settings. These seemingly tiny observations elevated this from just a story to a very “real” look into a little corner of the world.
Then there is the story. Yes, there are ghosts but at it’s heart, Her Fearful Symmetry: A Novel
Overall, this book caught my attention in the first few pages with the writing, the background and the characters. It kept my attention with some plot changes and the evolution of the characters. It ended happily….or maybe not?…but it was well worth the ride. Perfect? No, like I said earlier, I guessed a couple of the surprises and certain small (very small) parts of the book felt a little hurried but these are minor infractions. If you were not a fan of Ms. Niffenegger’s previous book, I would still highly recommend this book, a completely different story!
Ms. Niffenegger has a fantastic website which includes her personal photos of Highgate Cemetery, a link to her serialized graphic novel, The Night Bookmobile, displays of her artwork, links that will keep you busy for a while, an audio clip of her reading an excerpt from Her Fearful Symmetry: A Novel
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SQs_LquOaU&hl=en&fs=1&]
I swear, the wait for this book is going to make me explode
Thanks for mentioning her website – for some odd reason I had never really check it out before.
Yes, it does feel like there’s been a massive TTW hype machine. However, this does sound good! Thanks for the review.
I have this on my wishlist! it looks so interesting! glad you liked it. I can’t wait read it myself.
This book sounds absolutely wonderful. I actually have a cemetery blog!
OH i want this bad! Can’t wait to read it, i’ll have to break down and buy it.
I gave you an award
I finished reading this novel a couple of weeks ago. I’m gearing up to write my review, but the book was so beautiful that I want to make sure that I say the right things in the right way.
My favorite character in the novel was Elspeth because she was really complex. Not exactly good, not exactly bad; just a little morbid. My second favorite is the Highgate Cometary. The place was so vivid that I felt like it was another character in the novel.
I have gotten really curious about this book. Thanks for the review. By the way I finished Gone with the Wind and wrote something about it if you still wanted to see.
I was so glad to be able to borrow a friend’s ARC and read this. While it didn’t do for me what TTW did, it is still an amazing, well written triumph of a book. I was really impressed. She is quite the talented author. Martin and Marijke were my favorite characters and I really enjoyed their storyline the most.
I am glad you enjoyed this one and that you got a chance to experience it before the hype machine rolls on.
I’m waiting to read this one and am excited about it. I don’t want to read too much about it just yet!
I’m glad to hear you enjoyed this one. I know some people have been a bit disappointed, but it looks very interesting.
I can’t wait to read this. I;m jealous that you got an ARC.
Thanks for the review!
Thank you for taking the time to review Her Fearful Symmetry!
Check out the Facebook page for more information on events and the upcoming release of Her Fearful Symmetry:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Her-Fearful-Symmetry/68080996784
Great review, this is yet another book I have added to my list of books to get.
Hello all HFS enthusiasts:
Regal Literary wants to announce a contest where we’ll be giving away up to ten advance reader’s copies and three first edition hardcovers of Her Fearful Symmetry in a lottery drawing on October 1st. All you have to do to enter is join the facebook fan page posted above and send an e-mail to hfs@regal-literary.com.
Thanks a lot, and good luck if you enter the contest!
Can’t wait for this one to come out. I’ve become a fan and sent the email…
tbranco(at)hughes(dot)net
what an excellent review…can’t wait to read this one.
karen k
kmkuka(at)yahoo(dot)com
Her website is fun. Definitely worth a look!
I may have enjoyed TTW more if I read it before the hoopla.