Fearful Is Right

   As the days are a little longer, a little gloomier, a little colder, curling up in a chair by the fire with a good book may be the best way to spend an evening. What is better on a cold, dark winter night than a really scary tale? I have just the book for those who aren't too afraid of things that "go bump in the night."

   Several years ago, when I read Audrey Niffenegger's book The Time Traveler's Wife , I was struck by the amazing originality of the story.  It was one of those books I would stay up late into the night reading because the story was riveting. I read so many books that most of them invariably remind me of some other book. There are lots of stories, but, in describing the plot or the characters I can usually refer to some other book for comparison. Not so, with The Time Traveler's Wife. It was so unusual, so gripping a plot, such well-developed characters that I was certain that this Ms. Niffenegger was  a One Hit Wonder; a writer with only One Great Novel in her repertoire. I could not have been more mistaken.

   I bought Her Fearful Symmetry fully expecting to be disappointed. I can say it is one of the spookiest books I have read it a long time. Identical twins, just out of high school, receive a bequest in their aunt's will. One of the conditions of the bequest is that the girls move from the US to their aunt's flat in London and live there together for one year. There is some bad blood between girls' mother (who is the twin of the departed aunt) and her late sister, so a condition of the will is that the girls live in London without their mother or father or they lose the inheritance. After much hand-wringing and drama, the girls hop on a plane to London to embark on an adventure living in a foreign city, courtesy of their mysterious benefactor.

   Things get very creepy very quickly. The girls are not quite normal to begin with- they still dress alike at their advanced age of twindom. One twin is very Alpha, the other, timid and resentful of her bossy sibling.  Their aunt's boyfriend, still reeling from his loss, becomes very fixated on the girls. He is a docent at the historical cemetery across the street (are you feeling a chill?) and pretty soon, the story gets very dark indeed.

   This is a ghost story. It is a psychological thriller that sneaks up on you on quiet little paws like the ghost-kitten that is an important player in the winding, tortured story. Do not read this book to relax and kick back- it will have you on pins- and- needles until the end. I will say that I figured out the ending before I got there; but I was completely enthralled, horrified and curious to see if my worst fears would be realized. So, if you like stories that have a gothic flavor and make it necessary to leave a night-light on for awhile during and after the reading, I can recommend Her Fearful Symmetry.