Gemini

May 16, 2016
Seventeen-year-old conjoined twins Clara and Hailey are tired of their small community in Bear Pass, Calif. Though their parents have shielded them from outsiders and instilled in them a sense of normalcy, the twins question whether their limited world is enough. When astronomy-loving Clara meets new classmate Max, she is instantly intrigued. Encouraged by her artistic, pink-haired sister, Clara pursues Max while Hailey pursues Alek, a fellow art student. With dating, dances, and college on the horizon, the girls wrestle with what is possible and whether the world beyond Bear Pass will accept them. After confrontations with fellow classmates, the twins recognize their own fears and misconceptions, leading them to consider whether they are better off together or apart. Writing in the distinct voices of both Hailey and Clara, debut author Mukherjee chronicles multiple aspects of life as a conjoined twin. Each sister’s selflessness toward the other is stirring, but Mukherjee’s descriptions (“we scuttled down the ramp”) can occasionally suggest spectacle at the expense of story. Though uplifting, the ending feels overly convenient, undermining the nuances of conjoined identity explored. Ages 14–up. Agent: Steven Chudney, Chudney Agency.

Starred review from May 1, 2016
Twins Clara and Hailey, 17, are as close as it gets--conjoined at the lower back, entangled internally, sharing lower body sensations--but each harbors different dreams.Their parents, teachers at a local college, have raised and sheltered them from unwanted publicity in tiny, largely white Bear Pass, California, where the twins are expected to live out their lives. Rebel Hailey, with dyed pink hair and a butterfly tattoo (placed where Clara couldn't feel it), dreams of art school, travel, and fellow artist Alek. Fearful Clara's stifled her longing to study the vast universe and accepted their foreclosed future until a new student, Max, arrives to awaken new longings. Is surgical separation possible? While leavened with comfortable teen-literature tropes, this debut isn't high-concept-fueled candy floss. The twins' distance from "normal," all that circumscribes their conjoined world, is ever present, and the struggle to sustain their senses of self is visceral. Profound disabilities and exceptional gifts can be two sides of a single coin. Even if the twins survive separation, the benefits and gifts attachment has given them will be lost, with no guarantee of healthy life thereafter. Readers who've wondered why some choose to live with a disability that might be "cured" will find plenty to ponder here. As developments in genetics reshape the medical landscape, these questions will only resonate further.Compelling and suspenseful from Page 1; Clara and Hailey pull readers into their unique world and don't let go. (Fiction. 13-18)

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May 1, 2016

Gr 8 Up-Clara and Hailey are conjoined twins, attached at the hip and sharing a spinal cord. They've lived in the same small town their whole lives, where their parents have worked tirelessly to give them a "normal" childhood. Now seniors in high school, the twins are compelled to admit that they are, in fact, completely different people: Clara is introverted and scientific; pink-haired Hailey is gregarious and artistic. Clara never wants to leave Bear Pass; Hailey wants to be anywhere that isn't here. But it's only when Clara falls for handsome newcomer Max, and Hailey decides to ask Alek to the Sadie Hawkins dance, that they really start to consider what their futures will be like: falling in love, getting married, and having a family begin to look like impossibilities. Even going to college will be difficult given how different their passions are. Finally, the sisters contemplate the once unthinkable step of surgical separation, in opposition to their parents' wishes. The girls' alternating voices move the story along. With nuance, Mukherjee shows their differences as well as their similarities and exposes the many difficulties, large and small, experienced by the very few people with this condition. The girls' decision, at the end, feels right to them, and although readers may not agree with it, it is a natural progression of their character development. Thought provoking and engaging, this story of two girls finding their own unusual path to adulthood will pull readers in and give them a lot to think about.

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2016
Grades 8-11 Even for sisters, Clara and Hailey are close. They have to bethey're conjoined twins attached at the spine. They've lived their whole lives in the small California town of Bear Pass, where people are used to them, and they'll likely spend collegeand everything afterthere as well. For Clara, shy and quiet, with a love for astronomy, that's just fine, but spirited and rebellious artist Hailey wants more. When Hailey learns about a summer art program in San Francisco and new boy Max catches Clara's eye, the sisters reevaluate everything they thought was certain about their lives, and everything they never thought they could want. With references to famous conjoined twins such as Daisy and Violet Hiltonand distinct shades of the Tony-nominated Side Showthis debut is a well-researched and particularly heartfelt account of a rare medical condition and the people it affects. Though they share a body, Clara and Hailey are two very different people with different dreams, and their fight for a normal life will resonate with many.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)