In a dazzling display of virtuosity, Australian writer Sonya Hartnett carries the idea of a double self to the extreme of madness in a gothic tale of twin brothers. Sardonic and mercurial Indigo was born "first and ferocious," and compliant but stubborn Ravel is "second and bewildered." The two relate to no one in the world but each other, now that their parents have disappeared under mysterious circumstances known only to Indigo. Secluded in a rambling mansion set in tangled gardens, watched by multitudes of rats inhabiting the decaying walls, they spend their days reading eccentric and gruesome stories to each other--stories that also serve as oblique comments on their own narrative. Indigo reacts with outrage when Ravel has a brief romance, interpreting his brother's restlessness as a desire for separation. Ravel falls ill and is confined to his room, where he soon realizes that the green peppermint milk his brother brings him is laced with rat poison. His suspenseful escape turns the double identity back on itself in a deliciously intricate mind game. Hartnett, who earned high praise for her sophisticated and terrifying novel Sleeping Dogs, follows that debut with this stunning, stylistic tour de force, which can be read both as a horror story and an allegory for the terrors of the shadow self. (Ages 14 and older) --Patty Campbell
From School Library Journal
Grade 10 UpAIndigo and Ravel are 21-year-old identical twins and have always been together. They live in a rundown mansion, and one has made a prisoner of the other. They revel in gruesome, horrific stories. When they begin to play mind games with one another, both descend into a world of insanity, twisted identity, and bizarre behavior. The brothers are so identical that as the story progresses, each mistakes himself for the other, leaving readers as confused as the young men. One-to-three page vignettes on a variety of topics that bear little relation to the plot add to the confusion. These side stories (not to be confused with subplots) are plopped into the story line and cause major problems with sequencing of events. Even if readers figure out what the plot and theme are all about, they probably won't care. The characters are so peculiar and weird as to be unbelievable. One of them kills their parents and begins to poison the other. It's all so horrific that there is little desire to understand, empathize, or care about either character. Hartnett's writing lacks clarity and consistency. Even the dark mood and tone lose their appeal because of the disjointed story line. Anne Rice, at her weirdest, is much better. In the end, it's unlikely that anyone will care about these "princes."AMolly S. Kinney, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, PA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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