Her Fearful Symmetry
by
Audrey Niffenegger
adult fantasy/romance contemporary fiction
Many people (including myself) were waiting for another book from this author of "The Time Traveler's Wife". It starts off innocently enough with an aunt dying and leaving her flat in London to her twin nieces whom she has never met. From there the plot takes some twists as we find out more about the mother (who was a twin to the aunt) and about the goings on at the flat and the cemetery next door. There is a housebound neighbor and a cemetery volunteer neighbor. Add to the mixture The Kitten of Death (who is not at all terrifying).
This book is one part Gothic novel, one part stodgy British literature, one part Victoria Holt romance, one part Charlotte Bronte angst-riddled tale, and one part Phyllis Whitney mystery (except that it is set in modern times). Now I realize that I have dated myself with references to 1970's authors. So be it.
I wasn't sure what to expect in this book. I'll give away a major plot point - it is a ghost novel. It is a cozy, familiar read with a standard mystery setting, best enjoyed in front of a fireplace while wearing a smoking jacket and sipping Earl Grey tea.
As to the title - it is a clever play on words about twins being mirrors of each other and also using a word that sounds like "cemet'ry".
In a completely unrelated note, I will put this book on my list of books for genealogists to enjoy. Cemeteries are an essential part of any genealogist's research and Highgate Cemetery has some mighty fine tales to tell.
