Beside Myself

October 12, 2015
In British author Morgan’s intriguing first novel, identical twins Ellie and Helen Sallis decide to swap roles after their father’s death when they’re four. When outgoing Helen, the narrator, tries to end the game soon afterward, socially awkward Ellie continues to pretend to be Helen, denying that she’s Ellie. Despite Helen’s fervent protests, the sisters’ self-absorbed and unsupportive mother believes the new Helen, concluding that “Ellie” is lying to be difficult. As a consequence of the switch, “Helen” (the real Ellie) becomes popular and a good student, while “Ellie” (the real Helen) fulfills the low expectations of her mother and friends by acting out. Over time, the game begins to spiral out of control. “Helen” becomes a famous talk show host with a husband and daughter, while “Ellie” is barely functional. The reader must piece together what, if anything, is true about Helen’s story as her family’s secrets slowly surface. The arc of each girl’s life and the game’s tragic trajectory make for riveting and suspenseful reading. Agent: Caroline Hardman, Hardman & Swainson (U.K.).

October 1, 2015
In Morgan's (The World Between Two Covers, 2015) debut novel, 6-year-old identical twins swap identities for an afternoon to play a joke on their neighbors. But when one girl refuses to switch back, the rest of their lives begin. Ellie and Helen may look alike, but they have very different personalities; Helen is the "good girl," petted and loved by their mother, and Ellie seems to have behavioral issues and learning disabilities. After their harmless prank goes awry, the original Helen, now Ellie, finds herself trapped in the life of a troubled misfit while her sister goes on to live a life of best friends, high school parties, and, ultimately, adult success as a daytime TV host. The novel alternates chapters from the perspective of the original Helen as a little girl and the same character, identified as "Smudge," in adulthood, faced with the news that her sister is in a coma. With each chapter, time passes until the two intersect at novel's end. Along the way, we see Helen's angry, violent adolescence; her realizations about her father's suicide; her mother's coldness and ultimate abandonment; her struggles with mental illness; and, in the end, her triumph over history and genetics to find happiness. The novel is a deep, troubling, painful exploration of identity, genetics, and mental illness, but along the journey, the main character (Helen/Ellie/Smudge) becomes truly fascinating. Smudge, in particular, is a pathetic character when first we meet her, but slowly, the alternating time periods and the characters themselves transcend the bathos to become complex, nuanced, and sympathetic, finding salvation in art and living life on her own terms. Despite all the emotional upheaval experienced by pretty much every character, the book will leave the reader feeling satisfied and even hopeful. Ambitious and gritty; a modern take on the age-old question of fate versus free will.

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October 1, 2015

How much of our identity is based on our name? Twin girls--Helen is smart and popular, Ellie is awkward and slow--decide to play a game and switch identities to see if they can trick people, but at the end of the day--Ellie refuses to switch back. This creepy tale of stolen identity will keep readers engaged as alternating chapters depict the sisters' youthful experiences to adulthood. One twin has a wonderful life of fame while the other battles mental illness. Helen's struggles as she tries to make people realize her true identity are heartbreaking, and her family's dysfunctional history is the shadowy underlying theme that permeates the novel. VERDICT Blogger Morgan (The World Between Two Covers) has written a solid psychological debut thriller that fans of S.J. Watson and Gillian Flynn will want to add to their to-read lists. [See Prepub Alert, 7/27/15.]--Marianne Fitzgerald, Severna Park H.S., MD

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from October 15, 2015
Identical twins Helen and Ellie have significant differences detectable by those who care to see. Helen is the favored one: pretty, obedient, smart; Ellie is dull, slow, shunned. After their father commits suicide and their mother remarries, mean-spirited Helen proposes a malicious prank: she and Ellie will swap personalities to get the adults' attention. Her gambit, however, works all too well, and when Ellie begins flourishing under all the adulation normally given her sister, she refused to switch back. As the girls grow up, the original Helen develops sociopathic tendencies, and the original Ellie blossoms into a poised and popular young woman. Totally estranged from her family, Helen teeters on the edges of society, while Ellie becomes a beloved TV celebrity. When a tragedy forces the sisters to confront and acknowledge their true selves, it may be too late to go back to the way things were. With ever-shifting points of view and evolving transitions in time and place, it will take careful reading to keep up with this intricate exploration of identity and family. This won't be a problem for fans of Gone Girl (2012) and a novel to which Beside Myself will inevitably be compared for good reasons, The Girl on the Train (2015). Morgan's stunning debut is a thrilling and thought-provoking psychological drama.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)