93bcn read and liked Kathy's review of Her Fearful Symmetry:

"Like so many other readers, I was enchanted by The Time Traveler’s Wife. There was a willing suspension of disbelief on my part (which goes against my skeptical and cynical nature) but the story was sweet and engaging enough to pull it off. Not s...more Like so many other readers, I was enchanted by The Time Traveler’s Wife. There was a willing suspension of disbelief on my part (which goes against my skeptical and cynical nature) but the story was sweet and engaging enough to pull it off. Not so much with Her Fearful Symmetry. Again, through at least the first 2/3 of the book, I was willing to suspend disbelief and go with the story. But then it just got ridiculous beyond the point where I enjoyed the story anymore.

Essentially a ghost story, Her Fearful Symmetry features two sets of twins, the older Elspeth and Edie, and Edie’s daughters Valentina and Julia. The story opens with Elspeth succumbing to leukemia in a London hospital. Her twin sister and nieces have not seen her in more than 20 years, as a rift between Elspeth and Edie as well as distance (Edie lives in Chicago) drove them apart. Elspeth leaves everything to the twins, stipulating that they live in her London apartment for a year and their parents are not allowed to visit. Elspeth’s ghost lives in the apartment and eventually learns to communicate with the twins. It takes a long time and some wonderful descriptive elements to get this far – easily half the book. There are some well drawn characters that add to the story (particularly the OCD neighbor), but after this long set up, the story just devolves into absurdity. Disappointing ending after a good start.
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