Book Review: Her Fearful Symmetry

Just above writing on the list of things I love is reading. Novels, magazines, cereal boxes, you name it. I’ll read a grocery list if it looks interesting. I recently finished Her Fearful Symmetry, Audrey Niffenegger’s highly anticipated second novel. It follows The Time Traveler’s Wife, which was originally published by a small press but quickly became a bestseller and one of my personal favorites.

The success of The Time Traveler’s Wife earned Niffenegger rave reviews, an eager fan base and a reported $5 million advance for Her Fearful Symmetry. Needless to say, my expectations were high from the beginning. It was released in September so this is not the timeliest review in real time, but it was new to me in January and I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to share my thoughts.

The book explores the unique relationship of twins, challenged by buried secrets, love, death and the ability to let go. It begins when Edie Poole receives a goodbye letter from her twin sister, Elspeth. Twenty years prior, a secret between the sisters forced Edie to move from London to Chicago, never to see Elspeth again. Shortly thereafter, a second letter arrives for Edie’s own twin daughters, Julia and Valentina, informing them they inherited Elspeth’s London flat and the fortune she left behind. The only conditions of the offer were that they must live in the flat for one year and their parents were forbidden to enter.

Julia and Valentina, college dropouts with no direction in life, lived as one person and shared every experience. They put their future on hold for fear that they would eventually have to untangle their lives. Lacking any other logical next step, they accepted the offer and moved to London. Soon after moving into the flat, Niffenegger introduces the reader to Julia and Valentina’s upstairs neighbors, Martin and Marijke. Martin is obsessive compulsive and survived for years almost entirely due to Marijke’s enabling. She eventually reaches her breaking point and leaves Martin alone with his paper covered windows and excessively bleached floors. As Martin struggles to accept life without her, he and Julia become friends.

Elspeth’s younger lover and graduate student, Robert, lives downstairs. His obsession is his grief and his only escape is Highgate Cemetery, located directly across the street. Highgate Cemetery was established in the early nineteenth century to accommodate the large London population and inadequate space for proper burials. Over the years, the cemetery was beautifully landscaped and home to elaborate architecture, making it the choice of final resting place for many prominent historical figures. It was also where Elspeth had been buried. Robert’s thesis explored the history of the cemetery and the research eventually took over his life.

As Julia and Martin become friends, Robert finds himself enamored with Valentina. The girls slowly untangle and while Julia is fearful, Valentina revels in her newfound single identity. During this time, Elspeth’s spirit returns as a bundle of energy contained in a desk drawer. As she gains strength, she is able to move about the flat and eventually introduces herself to Julia and Valentina through dust writing and a Ouija board.

Julia initially rejects Elspeth but Valentina caters to her needs and demands. She wants to learn more about Robert, the secret between Elspeth and her mother and most importantly, her help in keeping a secret from her own twin. A secret that would set her free.

The story comes together very quickly at the end with secrets exposed and new ones created. The element of fear suggested in the title finally appears in the form of a body and soul swapping plan with dangerous consequences. In my opinion, the plot was a bit too thin to justify over 400 pages, but it is undeniable that Niffenegger once again succeeded in creating characters worthy of spending time with.

Whether or not Her Fearful Symmetry was worth the six year wait and $5 million advance is widely debated. Although I didn’t fall in love with it like The Time Traveler’s Wife, I would still recommend reading it. The incredible success of The Time Traveler’s Wife may have made it impossible to beat, even for Niffenegger herself, but that should not overshadow the fact that this is still a well-written and worthy read.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

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