Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey NiffeneggerHardback 406 pages
For me, this book was hard to describe, let alone review. So for once, I decided that I would read a few book reviews to see if I could garner some tips. I have to say that I was shocked by the negative reviews that this book received. Actually, I wasn't so much shocked that they were negative, I was flabbergasted by the reasons why the reviews disliked the novel.
For example the Library Journal stated that "The plot is unrealistic but could have been much more believable". Really? And here I thought I was reading fantasy fiction, just like all of the other novels Niffenegger has written. That is the brilliance of Niffenegger and why I enjoy her novels so much. She is able to add that touch of magic and disbelief into her novels, but still make them reflect enough of our world to make draw the reader in. Of course her plots stretch the limits of our imagination, but that is the entire point. The same publication also makes an irrelevant comparison of the 20-year-old twins, Valentina and Julia to the Olsen twins. How this conclusion is reached is beyond me. Yes, they may both be blond, but the last time I checked neither of Niffenegger's twins were media moguls.
The fault that the various book reviews found with the plot aside, there are many other reasons why this book is a must read for me. Niffenegger imbues each of her characters with the frailty of the human condition that instantly endears them to you. The introverted masochist Robert, whom you pity and at the same time you grow angry with how willing he is to go along with whatever scheme is dreamed up by the women in his life. The humble and romantic character of Martin, whose wife leaves him after living with his OCD for years. Even minor characters to Niffenegger's tale are shown a particular care in how they are sketched out, leaving us with a rich tapestry woven into an already complex and magical storyline.
If you can't tell, I loved this book. I found the leaps in imagination worth struggling through some of the weaker plot points. The entire concept of twins is fascinating to me and the complex relationship between the two (yes two!) sets of twins in this story is deftly expressed by the author.
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