Beside Myself by Ann Morgan

Beside Myself by Ann Morgan

This is a psychological drama about identical twin girls. The 67 short chapters alternate between the story of the two girls as children, gradually progressing to adulthood, and the present day, where the twins are in their mid thirties, one in a coma and the other living in squalor.

At age six the twins, Helen and Ellie, decide to swap clothes and pretend to be each other. The problem comes when Ellie refuses to switch back. The adults don't believe Helen's protests and continue to call her Ellie. Helen's frustration mounts causing her to act out and leading to a hatred of Ellie. As an identical twin myself, I found it difficult to believe that the mother wouldn't use some sort of freckle or birth mark to tell the twins apart.

The story raises lots of issues around identity and mental health. I read it quickly, eager to find out what had happened to both girls. The chapters about the girls' childhood begin in the first person from Helen's perspective but switch to the second person from chapter 24; I found the repetition of the word you slightly annoying, but other than that I enjoyed the book.