Customer Reviews

Twins: A Novel

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Marcy Dermansky's debut novel - Twins - is an amazing piece of twin fiction. Although not a twin herself, Dermansky has managed to capture what many other authors don't even bother to try: A real understanding of the complex relationship between identical twins!

The story is fast paced, very original and occasionally disturbing while managing to be alternately funny and quite a tear-jerker. (I must admit to using up half a box of tissues crying by the end of the novel - which I read in one day).

As an identical twin myself, (and twin-owner of a popular internet site for twins called Twins Realm) I was very pleasantly surprised to find the two main characters (identical twins Chloe and Sue) portrayed with real depth and understanding.

Often fiction writers use twin characters only for the convenience of their storylines, while continuing to perpetuate the common stereotypes (like `good' and `evil' twins), but Dermansky's tale is a much more realistic, sympathetic, and in-depth look at the complexity of twin experiences; it offers unique insight into the struggles faced by identical twins with issues of identity and self-determination.

A thoroughly enjoyable (and informative) novel, for twins and non-twins alike - definitely worth a read!!!

I typically have little patience with coming-of-age stories or the trevails of psychodramatic teenagers, but Twins slowly wore away at my cynicism as it drew me in.

You might want to shake these girls and tell them to get their act together, but Ms. Dermansky's voice is so witty and winning that you'll be anxiously rooting for them to find happiness in the end. And I have to confess, cynic that I am, I found myself with a lump in my throat by the final chapter. It probably won't lead me to seek out other novels about the trials of teenagers, but if I had to spend 300 pages with a couple of neurotic, troubled teenage girls, I'm glad it was *these* teenage girls, and I'm glad I had this author as my charming guide.

Beautifully written--engaging and engrossing. I read it in one sitting, and although I neglected errands, work, and some sleep in the process, I considered it well worth it. Dermansky is a writer whose craft is apparent without being in-your-face, and a storyteller whose humor gently surprises you even as her tale takes you through a range of emotions.

Twins by Marcy Dermansky is not your usual pop novel. It is peculiarly personal,
since the narrative is so cooly set forth and hides any obvious biases held by the author. In other words, there is a remarkable skill here at work, as MD develops
her characters, as they go about living between their 12th and 18th birthdays. It is very enjoyable and rewarding to experience how Chloe and Sue go through their changes, or individual processes of maturing in the alotted time span. How can something so keenly observed, yet stripped of unnecessary detail, be so compelling? Because, as any writing professor will aver, less equals more and this writer's ideas about her characters are thoroughly developed before the actual narrative begins. As readers, we are very lucky, because Dermansky chooses wisely to not burden us with unnecessary information. What is revealed is breezily or tersely tossed off, as well as any intelligent standup comedian could do it. The depth and assurance of her writing skill leads me to conclude that Ms Dermansky has quite a bit more to offer us in the future. I eagerly await the results of her upcoming projects.

First of all, this is a great read. The book is satisfying on so many
different levels. It flows like butter. On a purely soap-opera/voyeur
level, it explores the lives of these blond twin adolescent girls, their
sex lives, and their ambition-lives. But the way in which the sex and
the various ambitions are handled takes this story deeper than a soap.
It's a soap and a literary novel rolled into one.

The voices are engaging and real. The details about the girls'
secret/inner lives ring true, yet also surprise and generally engage
you. Marcy Dermansky is an incredible writer. I've read some of her
short stories (in journals) and her language is always dead on precise.
If you look at the language closely you'll see there's not one wasted
word. Each sentence is doing so much work, evoking such subtleties of
mind and mood, bringing the story to life. The book is funny and manages
to be uplifting at the end, but the writer's vision can also go dark.
She's not afraid to examine loneliness, anger and failure. I should also
mention how original and quirky the voice is. You definitely won't have
read anything quite like it unless you've read her other work.

It's the sort of book you read and then give to all your friends and
they give to two friends and so on and so on. I'm a woman in my 30's. In
case anyone cares.

I also wasn't sure how relevant this book would be to me, a 31 year old mom. But, it was a phenomenal read! I finished it in one day (and that is w/ a 3 year old toddler to run after). The writing was brillant, the story utterly engaging, the topic of eating disorders handled w/ candor and care. I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who finds it even a bit interesting. Can't wait for a follow up!

Normally I wouldn't think the trials and tribulations of two suburban teenaged girls would have any relevance to my life, but the themes in this fantastic book are universal. Deftly switching between voices, author Marcy Dermansky volleys your sympathy between two individuals starving (often literally) for love, yet going about it in remarkably different ways. A story which could easily have been catty is, in fact, sublime. Side characters are remarkable as well. You'll be unable to put this book down, as the young women, similar in appearance, but quite different in attitude, will somehow both meld together with you and become part of your life.

Critics are sometimes told by their readers, "You have a big mouth, writing reviews that trash other people's work. Do you think you can do better?" The statement is, of course, absurd. Are we not allowed to call a New York Yankees pitcher a bum without getting on the mound ourselves to prove our superiority?
Still, sometimes, not often, a critic shows an ability to do better than some of the creative people she's panned. Marcy Dermansky, a writer whose gracefully articulated film reviews appear on the prestigious medium About.com, can do more than simply criticize the work of others. Dermansky's new book, "Twins," captures the torments of adolescence-the jealousies, the sexual experimentation, conflicted attitudes toward school, the food hangups, the relationships with self-absorbed parents: in short, the difficulties of growing up and separating from your roots in order to establish your own personhood.

That the two principal characters in the novel, Chloe and Sue, are identical twins is no accident. When individuals share the same DNA, it's natural for them to nurse intense rivalries If one 16-year-old, Chloe, excels in basketball, actually trained by a kind fellow who was a high-scorer with the New York Knicks, we understand the frustration of sister Sue, who compares herself unfavorably to her sib in every way. If Chloe is more outgoing, a little prettier, and better able to attract the attention of others, then Sue is confined to the hell of a slow, internal burn. Perpetually in Chloe's shadow, Sue can scarcely be blamed for clinging to Chloe, to entreat the young woman with cries of you-and-me-against-the-world, OK?

The story is laced throughout with humor. Sue teaches a course in Bulimia 101: "You lean over, put your finger down your throat, fast, and it comes." Her views of high school sound familiar enough: "School was a waste of time. I hated school more than I hated Chloe. The kids sucked, the teachers sucked, the homework sucked." As the young people progress in age, grades and extra-curricular sexual adventurism, you'll inevitably decide which kid you like better: the grandiose Chloe or the more average Sue. To achieve closure, Dermansky skillfully, without a hint of contrivance, does not allow Sue to maintain a dependency on her more flamboyant sister. During their eighteenth year, Sue and Chloe are far different people than they were at twelve. By the conclusion of this goofy, poignant, and elegantly finessed debut novel, you'll have changed a bit yourself.

This was the best book I've read in quite awhile. I love how the characters just jump from the page, making it feel like a slice of life. The characters are complex and it's so easy to really care about them as they struggle with their identies and their relationship to each other. I've already recommended this to a number of people and can't say enough good things about it.

Bravo Ms. Dermansky, you have a new fan in me!

There is great heart in this book, which I devoured pretty much in one sitting. Can be rare to find a smart, contemporary, precisely satirical book that is still brimming over with real emotion...but this is one.