Identical Strangers

Wonderfully written and beautifully performed, IDENTICAL STRANGERS is the memoir of writer-filmmaker Elyse Schein and freelance writer Paula Bernstein, identical twins who were separated in infancy who became part of a secret scientific study on nature versus nurture. At age 35, Elyse learns that she is a twin and begins an investigation that leads to her sister. Once reunited, the two search for their birth mother and information about the circumstances that led to their separation. Performed by Alma Cuervo as Paula and Effie Johnson as Elyse, the two women's personalities emerge as clear, separate, and unique. The timbre of the narrators' voices provides a fine counterpoint to each another, portraying an impulsive, excitable Elyse and a more careful, rational Paula. Truly engrossing listening. S.J.H. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine