Julia and Valentina Poole, 20 year old twins, are given an opportunity to escape their sheltered suburban Chicago home. Elspeth Noblin, their mother's twin sister, has died and left them her fortune. She has also bequeathed her London flat, which borders on Highgate Cemetery. The Poole twins have always wondered about their estranged aunt. Their mother, Edwina, has cut off all ties with her twin sister. There is a catch to how the young Americans can claim their inheritance; Elspeth has stipulated that the girls are to live in her flat for one year, and their parents are not allowed to enter. Their London flat neighbours include Elspeth's younger lover, Robert and Martin, an eccentric crossword composer whose OCD Niffenegger poetically portrays.
Julia and Valentina embark on a journey that takes them deep into themselves and the ghosts of their family and Highgate Cemetery.
Her Fearful Symmetry brings suspenseful supernatural mystery the unsuspecting Poole twins and the reader. Niffenegger also weaves in a history of London's famous Highgate Cemetery, where likes of Karl Marx, Christina Rossetti, George Elliot and Malcolm McLaren are buried. The novel is rich in topics and themes that students can explore for book talks or for the pure enjoyment of reading. I would recommend Niffenegger's latest work to grades 10-12 as well as the enthusiastic junior reader.
