2005 book 118

diana evans' 26a
at the end of the year, when i list my ten favorite books of 2005, this book will be on that list. it's about a family with a pair of twin girls at its center, growing up in the 80s and 90s in england (and nigeria), and i'll tell you right now that i haven't cried this hard over a book in a while. this apparently won the orange prize (awarded to best first novel) and deservedly so--the characters in this book were beautifully written, and the story of the twins taking two separate paths is a heartbreaking one. for those who maybe could use some catharsis in these crappy times, this might be a book to check out. but for now i'll just reiterate: this book was really, really excellent. and now it's time to rinse the tearstains off of my glasses.