Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

This is the follow up to one of my favorite books (and movies) of all time- The Time Traveler's Wife.  This book isn't so much a love story as it is a ghost story.  When Elspeth Noblin dies at the beginning of the book, she leaves her assets to the twin daughters of her long-estranged twin sister Edie with the condition that the twins must live in her London flat for one year before they can have any of the money or sell the flat.  The twins, Valentina and Julia, are confused because they can't remember ever having met their aunt and have no idea why their mother was estranged from her- so much so that the parents aren't allowed to set foot in the flat.  The twins are in their early twenties and decide to just do it.  They leave America and move in to their aunt's flat in London.


Living in the building with them in London is Elspeth's lover, Robert, and the upstairs neighbor Martin who has an extreme case of OCD and Elspeth's ghost who lives with them in the flat.  The girls have no purpose in London.  They don't go to school.  They don't work.  But they do get to know the neighbors and their aunt.  The book then takes an interesting turn when the characters in the book make their own way to get the things they think they want.  It is shocking and disturbing.  But it keeps you reading because you want to see how everyone turns out after the dust has settled.

The book was slow at times and the ending was just like "Really?"  I was disappointed how the characters turned out, but it was a good cautionary tale that not every story has a happy ending and I am liking that realistic view from the books and movies I watch right now which is probably why I didn't hate it.  But it was no where near the wonderful story of The Time Traveler's Wife.

I give this one 3.5 out of 5 stars.