Gr 10 Up—According to 18-year-old Tristan Betterby, he and his twin, Robbie, are more like "identical strangers," with different interests and temperaments. After Robbie's suicide attempt, the twins are forced by their parents to share a bedroom. The physical proximity eventually leads to an emotional closeness and understanding of each other's lives and struggles. Debut novelist Siegert's writing is captivating at times, but the story is too unrealistic, combining too many plot devices, including teens being forced to live out their father's failed dreams, clueless parents in denial, multiple suicide attempts, gay stereotypes, bullying, online predators, the psychic connection between twins, bullies, and parents coming around in the end. Narrator Raviv Ullman's mature, monotonous voice picks up some emotion toward the end of the story, perhaps mimicking Tristan's evolution from feeling like he doesn't matter to becoming his brother's hero.
VERDICT Siegert's attempt at challenging stereotypes gets muddled as she tries to address too many teen issues.
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