At the beginning of this novel, we meet Cassandra Edwards preparing to attend her twin sister’s wedding. Although her narrative is clever, entertaining, and disarmingly truthful, it is clear something is wrong.
Slowly we learn it is Cassandra’s intention to talk Judith out of the wedding, which she views as a horrible mistake. The Edwards have lived on their ranch as a self-contained until, intellectual, cultured, staying away from the affairs of others. When the girls began studying at Berkeley, Cassandra at any rate spent a lot of time with others, trying new things out. Despite having always tried to maintain their individuality, they finally decided, at lease according to Cassandra, that they only needed each other would move to Paris. But first, Judith decided she would try one year by herself studying music in New York. And now she has returned with a fiancé.
When Cassandra arrives at the ranch and we see the two women together, it seems clear that Cassandra is the less mature and more egotistical. She doesn’t seem to be able to see the situation from any point of view but her own. She is like a whirlwind of talk and distress, trying to push Judith toward her own goal. Cassandra does something drastic at the end of this section, but I don’t want to give it away.
In the second section, Judith narrates. We learn that although she loves Cassandra , contrary to what Cassandra believes, Judith wants to bet away from her. Judith is the calmer, more mature twin, and she finds Cassandra exciting but exhausting. I seems clear that Cassandra has attributed some of her own attitudes and ideas to both of them.
Cassandra may sound like an irritating character, but somehow she is appealing. We enjoy being with her as she navigates the rough seas of more maturity. I very much enjoyed this book, which has likable characters and looks honestly at the difficulties involved in finding an identity, especially if you’re a twin, and becoming one’s own whole person.
What? Me Read? 