Synopsis: (Taken from Amazon.com)
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.
Review:
Her Fearful Symmetry had everything going for it - an interestingly eery cover, spooky graphics on the inside, and an author who received such fame for The Time Traveler’s Wife. This should have been another masterpiece to some extent, but instead – all I wanted to do is poke my eyes out from sheer boredom. Then, I hated it so much I had to twitter about it. I was not happy.
The first chapter will keep your interest. Elspeth passes away and her loving partner wraps his arms around her, unable to let her go. It’s very sweet and Niffenegger does a wonderful job of painting this saddened picture. But then, nothing pretty much happens – ever.
I could only manage to read about 50 pages of this, stopping midway. However, wanting to give it a chance, I kept going. Eventually I had to accept the fact that it wasn’t going to happen and I have decided to return the book to the library where (maybe – just maybe) someone else can enjoy it. After this, I am not sure I will continue reading any of Niffenegger’s books. All the hype and the blow of disappointing reality was just too much.
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