Her Fearful Symmetry

by Audrey Niffenegger

Book Overview

From the author of the #1 bestselling The Time Traveler's Wife, a spectacularly compelling novel--set in and near Highgate Cemetery in London, about the love between twins, men and women, ghosts and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1439165394
• ISBN13: 9781439165393
• Release Date: September 2009
• Publisher: Scribner Book Company
• Length: 416 Pages
• Weight: 1.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.3" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

so.... weird

i really had high hopes for this book. i love ghost stories and this one is set in Highgate Cemetery! so I was very excited! the book was just ok, however. it was super weird, lots of weird twists and turns, weird relationships and weird situations, and I was just very unsettled with it. lots of cringe-y moments where I literally said out loud, "EW! NOOOO!" it kept my interest for the most part, however (i think I was hoping for it to get better so I hung on! LOL), so I did finish it. but it's not one I will read again. it's just not my type of book, unfortunately.

How much do we want life -- and what kind of life should we want?

When Elspeth Noblin succumbs to cancer, her two American nieces - mirror-image twins and daughters of Elspeth's own twin - inherit her apartment overlooking the Victorian cemetery of Highgate in London as well as the rest of her estate. But the bequest comes with a condition - they must live in Elspeth's flat for an entire year, and their parents may not set foot in it. That legacy sets of a series of events that start off being intriguing and quirky, move rapidly on to being eerie and spooky and ultimately become bizarre and what some readers will undoubtedly see as creepy. Niffnegger's follow up to her blockbuster "Time Traveler's Wife" is an intriguing and disturbing look at some of the many troubling fundamental questions to which we often prefer to close our eyes. To the outward eye, for instance, Julia and Valentina are not only indistinguishable physically, but act almost as a single entity, doing everything together, dressing alike and even sleeping in the same bed. The reader, who can't see them except through his or her mind's eye, however, quickly realizes just how distinctive their personalities are and how different their goals and ambitions. The experience of being in London just accentuates that difference, as Valentina - on the surface, the more physically fragile twin, with her heart physically located on the `wrong' side of her body - tries subtly and overtly to make a bid for independence, just as their mother and Elspeth came to a parting of the ways. Julia, however much more outgoing and independent she may appear, is less comfortable with that. The twins' relationship may be at the core of this fascinating and disturbing novel, but they are surrounded by a host of other characters who were part of Elspeth's world and who now make up part of the new life of her nieces. In the flat above is Martin, an agoraphobic unable to leave home and battling a host of other compulsions, and missing his wife, Marijke (who has just left him) as if she were `a phantom limb', a pain of sorts where the other person once was. Downstairs lives Robert, Elspeth's lover, whose life revolves around his magisterial study of Highgate Cemetary, and who is missing Elspeth herself in much the same way. But is Elspeth really gone? At its heart, this is a very novel and exciting variant on the classic ghost story, as well as a rumination on death. With Highgate cemetery just beyond a wall, death looms closely over the lives of both the twins and Robert in very different ways. Robert leads tours of Highgate, explaining to curious visitors the Victorian fear of being buried alive and all the devices - bells that someone who woke up alive in a coffin could pull from six feet underground - that were used to prevent that from occurring. At the same time, he yearns for Elspeth, whose body now lies in a family crypt at Highgate. He spends hours trying to connect with her in her flat before the arrival of the twins and, later, at the crypt, and muses to a frie

Amazing Read!

Her Fearful Symmetry is one of the most anticipated releases of 2009. There are some very high expectations for this novel, especially considering Audrey Niffenegger's reputation as a writer. Though she has only written one previous novel, Niffenegger's fans expect solid writing, three-dimensional characters, and a completely unique yet absolutely amazing plot. Happily, Her Fearful Symmetry doesn't disappoint. Audrey Niffenegger uses beautiful prose in order to tell her story. Her gorgeous writing style is a comfort to tired eyes - it's like a warm blanket on a very cold night. As a result, the pages of this incredible novel turn all too quickly because her writing is so enjoyable to read. The mystery within Her Fearful Symmetry is well-crafted and very compelling. Niffenegger develops it very slowly, taking her time to ensure every detail is in place before revealing additional information. As a result, the plot seems to take on a life of its own. The reader's expectations at what the book is moving towards changes with each chapter, morphing with each new morsel that Niffenegger provides. This may make it sound like the book is slow, which it definitely isn't. Instead, it moves with leaps and bounds, taking the reader places they never thought they'd go at the beginning of the novel. Niffenegger proves she is an expert at developing characters with Her Fearful Symmetry. Though the characters are eccentric, and in some ways larger than life, they seem completely real. It is only natural that the people living within a building next to a cemetery as renowned as Highgate would have some odd personalities - indeed, in many ways, Highgate Cemetery itself is a character within this novel. The best part about the characters is that they are so complex. They exhibit characteristics that aren't immediately apparent on first sight, though upon reflection, the reader understands them perfectly. It is very subtle, and incredibly well done. Her Fearful Symmetry had me from beginning to end. My expectations were extremely high, yet Niffenegger managed to surpass them. It's a beautifully written and moving novel, yet it is also dark and completely delicious. This is a book I can't recommend highly enough. I only hope we don't have to wait another 5 years for Niffenegger's next novel.

A Great Ensemble Ghost Story

Audrey Niffengger's second novel "Her Fearful Symmetry" focuses on the Noblin family and it's two sets of twins--a mother and aunt to two teenage sisters--and the terrible secret that ties them all together. When the two teenagers are left an apartment in London by an aunt they've never met, the girls believe the apartment is their chance to escape their mundane life in the suburbs of Chicago. But soon after moving to London, the girls realize there is something not right with their apartment. With the help of their reclusive neighbors, the girls discover the building's secret and ultimately must make decisions about their own lives based on what they discover. I loved this second effort from Niffengger, author of the bestselling "Time Traveler's Wife". The book is genuinely creepy as a ghost story, and Niffengger does a great job of weaving the different elements of the novel together to create a creepiness throughout the narrative. There are enough twists in the plot to keep you guessing, and Niffengger's obvious talent as a novelist is once again on display. Niffengger spends a great deal of time sketching each of her characters for the reader, so this book really has the feel of an ensemble piece rather than a novel with just a few central characters. Some of the elements that worked so well in "Time Traveler's Wife" are back again, including Niffengger's use of fantastic/scifi elements to add a unique dimension to her work. Niffengger's strong narrative voice is also back, and it does a good job of pulling the reader right into this story. I think if you enjoyed "Time Traveler's Wife" you will also enjoy this novel. Be warned that it's very different from "Time Traveler" but in a good way--you don't really want to read the same story twice!

A Matter of Life and Death

This novel is a ghost story...a mystery...a love story...a psychological examination of OCD...a revelation about the lives of twins...a delving into relationships...and if that weren't enough there is also a Kitten of Death! I found Audrey Niffenegger's writing to be easygoing and compelling at the same time. Her characters in this book are so well defined that I felt I had perhaps peeked into their flat while on a trip to England. It has a very English flavor since British terminology and spelling is used throughout. As was the case with the author's prior book, Time Traveler's Wife, you must suspend your belief a bit to enjoy the story, but the unique premise is very smoothly introduced. The readers are given a set of twins who inherit their young aunt's flat after she has died of leukemia. The Aunt and the twins' mother were also twins, who happened to have a potentially devastating secret that has kept them apart since the young twins were babies. The girls are eager to find some answers to that mystery between their mother and aunt, and they are ready to leave home and begin their lives so they take the leap to London. Once the young twins inhabit the flat, they realize that their Aunt is "trapped" there as a ghost. There is also a man in the flat above them who is "trapped" in his flat with a severe case of OCD. One of the girls feels "trapped" by her twin's possessiveness and bulllying. Every one of them wants to find a way out of their situation, but who will? And, how? Quite an unexpected twist alters everything... I thought this was an excellent tale that also touched upon real relationship issues and the bond between us all, good or bad, healthy or not.I highly recommend it as it was truly entertaining.

Five stars for beautiful writing

After an English woman dies, she leaves her flat and money to her American nieces she has never met. Long ago, she and her twin had a terrible parting of the ways, and never met again. Leaving her London flat to the daughters of her sister (and they are twins, too), seems to be a fitting way to tie up some loose end. But the English woman Elspeth still exists, in a way, in her flat. The neighbors all have their personal griefs, too (upstairs is Martin, deep in obsessive compulsive disorder; downstairs is Robert, Espeth's grieving lover). And the young twins have their problems as they begin to enter adulthood. This story could have gone in so many different directions. In some ways, the story isn't as important as the mood, which the author is a master of creating. This book is permeated with a sort of bitter sweet sense of lost love. This is a lovely bit of reading as each character tries to find him and herself and move forward in the midst of sadness and loss. Even the young twins, who have not yet suffered loss, will have to do so if they are to move forward with their lives. I don't want to give any of the story away to potential readers. I would just like to say that if you love a beautiful story, this is certainly one. I was a bit disappointed in the end and how it was handled, but it did work in a way. I hope I don't have to wait so many years for the author's next book!