'Symmetry' offers haunting love story from beyond the grave

By Audrey Niffenegger

Some of you may have read "The Time Traveler's Wife" by Niffenegger, or have seen the movie, or have at least heard of the movie. I really enjoyed the book, but thought the movie was incredible. With Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana in the starring roles, it would be hard to go wrong...and we all (us ladies anyway) know that Rachel McAdams can knock a romance flick out of the park. If you have not yet seen or read this, my suggestion would be to skip the book and go straight to the movie.

Not that the book wasn't good; it was very good. I struggled a little with some of the time traveling that went on, but other than that it's a solid read. It was an international bestseller and was adapted for the big screen with some very big stars.

Because of its success, according to the New York Times, Niffenegger was given a $5 million dollar advance for her next book "Her Fearful Symmetry." This advance was based on the completed manuscript, not on an outline or a concept as some authors can secure large advances for.

So here's my question: did the guy who signed that check read the same book I read? $5 million? Really? That's like...50,000 hundreds.

I have read a lot of books - good, bad, mediocre, and I'm-on-chapter-2-and-cannot-bring-myself-to-read-another-word. I can only describe this one as unique. I was entranced by it for about three days and couldn't put it down, usually the sure sign of a great book.

Niffenegger has contrived a truly imaginative plot that is successful in propelling you through the book just to see what unconventional scenario will reveal itself next and how it will be played out.

I'll set the scene for you: A London flat that overlooks a historical cemetery becomes newly occupied by 19 year old American twins, they are the nieces of the previous occupant who found herself in said cemetery before her time. Their deceased aunt/mother's twin sister willed the flat to the girls in spite of never having met them due to an unrevealed conflict between the older twins. The second generation twins start a new life in a new country in a new flat with new neighbors; a severely OCD man who cannot leave his flat, and Dead-Aunts boyfriend, both of whom play significant roles in the drama that unfolds when they all discover that Dead-Aunt is in fact Undead and residing in the flat with the twins. Which is creepy enough, but let me just tell you that there is something very creepy about these twins from the moment they are introduced. Do you remember the little twin girl ghosts standing at the end of the hotel corridor antagonizing that poor little "redrum" kid in The Shining? I read this whole book thinking of these twins as those girls, all grown up. Shiver.

So, there is an eerie element going on, but there is also a romantic component that asks us to speculate about what happens to true love when we are gone. If you believe in souls, and therefore soul mates, then perhaps you can stretch your mind a little further and consider the concept of a love that truly never dies.

This, as most things in life, will probably be a different concept on Mars than it is on Venus. Men will be men even in the face of the supernatural and women will be women even in the afterlife. Dead-Aunt's boyfriend struggles with stability during the grieving process but when he sees how similar one of the twins in particular is to his lost love, he thinks like a man and becomes enamored with her. Dead-Aunt, however, takes loyalty very seriously and in the cunning and manipulative spirit of living breathing women around the world, she starts to form a plan.

Just when things cannot get any more bizarre, the root of the conflict between the first generation twins is exposed and the already sinister plan becomes downright disturbing.

This being a book review, you may be asking at this point; did you like it or didn't you? Clearly I am a little conflicted but here is my best shot at a straight answer: I enjoyed reading it and I was captivated by Niffenegger's engaging creativity but was more than a little disappointed with the end.

I am recommending it though; it is worth it just for the far-reaching plot and mysterious tone of the book, and I would love to hear some other opinions. If you are a twin, or are close to any twins, you may especially enjoy this book, it is as much about the intricacies of twin-ship as it is about supernatural romance. While I hope to have intrigued you with this review, if I have painted you a picture that is just not your cup of tea, make some popcorn, rent "The Time Traveler's Wife", and wait for Niffenegger's next book, for which I feel certain she will not receive a $5 million dollar advance.