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The Silent Twins
When identical twins June and Jennifer Gibbons were three they began to reject communication with anyone but each other, and so began a childhood bound together in a strange and secret world. As they grew up, love, hate, and genius united to push them to the extreme margins of society and, following a five-week spree of vandalism and arson, the silent twins were sentenced to a grueling twelve-year detention in Broadmoor.
Award-winning investigative journalist Marjorie Wallace delves into the twins' silent world, revealing their genius, alienation, and the mystic bond by which the extremes of good and evil ended in possession and death.
Award-winning investigative journalist Marjorie Wallace delves into the twins' silent world, revealing their genius, alienation, and the mystic bond by which the extremes of good and evil ended in possession and death.
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1986
324 people are currently reading
8704 people want to read
About the author
Marjorie Wallace
5 books29 followersMarjorie Shiona Wallace CBE, FRCPsych(Countess Skarbeck) (born 10 January 1945 in Nairobi, Kenya) is a British writer, broadcaster and investigative journalist and is the chief executive of SANE, a mental health charity in the UK established in 1986.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 336 reviews
July 11, 2017
Sic read! creepy,sad but very interesting...a true story that was well written..(paperback!)
December 17, 2022
Zaczynajac tą książkę byłam bardzo podekscytowana sprawą, niestety, mój entuzjazm z każdą stroną gasł.
Rozumiem powód, dla którego powstała i najlepsze chęci autorki, ale zbyt rozwleczona i zbyt męcząca. Nie potrafiłam utrzymać koncentracji, nie interesowała mnie treść.
Rozumiem powód, dla którego powstała i najlepsze chęci autorki, ale zbyt rozwleczona i zbyt męcząca. Nie potrafiłam utrzymać koncentracji, nie interesowała mnie treść.
November 6, 2022
Rozwleczone niepotrzebnie w moim odczuciu. Powinno być połowę krótsze. Traciłem zainteresowanie dość często i musiałem w kilku momentach mocno skakać przez tekst, żeby dowiedzieć się co dalej, ale nie czytać relacji z dnia w więzieniu np, który każdy wygląda tak samo. Książka mimo wszystko dość ciekawa, historia z początku fascynuje, tylko potem, wydaje mi się, traci rytm.
August 16, 2012
I think this very interesting subject matter should have been handled by a more capable writer. This was a painful read because the story is so poorly constructed - random time shifts, shifts in perspective, poor pacing (did we really have to spend that much time with the dolls?) and a somewhat paternalistic (and sometimes self-congratulatory) tone throughout. I only finished it to find out what happened but I don't feel the book reveals much more than what was presented in the original article for the New York Times.
July 27, 2011
How important is language? What happens when identical twins eschew interacting with the world-at-large, phatic communication and relationships with their peers and family in favor of communicating almost solely with each other? Arson, delinquency, violence and madness only begin to sketch this fascinating true story of the Gibbons sisters -- twins who created their own "secret" language and stopped communicating with the rest of the world -- and their strange inexorably intertwined lives. Almost entirely inwardly focused, these jealous and possessive silent sisters each wrote novels, poetry, memoirs and scores of diaries, trying to outdo the other in literary output and merit, while refusing to speak to or acknowledge the world around them. Each sister also thought the other might be trying to possess her mind, kill her or steal her identity, yet they could not live apart, at least until the mysterious death of the more controlling sister hours after they were released from Broadmoor, one of Britain's state mental institutions. Quirky non-conformists crushed by the racial mores of 1960s Britain and the institutional system or demented psychopaths bent on manipulating their family for their own personal pleasure? While Wallace has sympathy for these sisters, and presents a detailed portrait derived from interviews, diaries, and psychiatric records, her prefatory statements about assuming that because the facts she has researched are true, the ones she has not are also true, is bizarre scholarship. Furthermore, she fails to reach any summative conclusion and, as she relies on an almost "true crime" portrayal of the story, when the record runs out, so does the story. This book does provide much intriguing and spectacular (read: lurid) detail, but Hilton Als's December 2000 New Yorker article presents a much more introspective and researched account of a fascinating case study in the social importance of language and the dangers of isolation.
January 7, 2020
Interesting biography of identical twins, June and Jennifer Gibbons. They spoke only to each other, using a secret language. All their movements were synchronized. Things became stranger, and stranger, as they matured. Eventually, they ended up in a psychiatric facility in Berkshire, England, called Broadmoor Hospital.
Through interviews and the twins' diaries, novels, poems, and short stories, the author tries to understand who these young women were. Their prison diaries were filled with minuscule, perfectly neat writing, each page held about 4,000 words! (see photo)
3 Stars = I liked the book. I'm glad I read it.
Through interviews and the twins' diaries, novels, poems, and short stories, the author tries to understand who these young women were. Their prison diaries were filled with minuscule, perfectly neat writing, each page held about 4,000 words! (see photo)
3 Stars = I liked the book. I'm glad I read it.
September 11, 2010
Wow,this was a tough read. I kept going because I really thought there would be some pay off at the end. I was wrong. I read this whole book and there was no closure. There is not a whole lot I hate more than a book or even a movie with no closure. I don't understand the point of writing this book. I kinda feel bad for the girls but I still don't understand why the author wrote this book. I just don't get this at all. And the end does nothing. There is no diagnosis, there is no solution, there is just nothing. Really disappointed that I wasted my time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 12, 2023
Nie wiem jaki był zamysł tej książki. Jeśli chodziło o współczucie dla bohaterek, to się nie udało - zostały przedstawione jako tak antypatyczne i niemiłe, że współczucie czułam raczej względem osób z ich otoczenia. Jeśli miało to być studium nad ciekawym przypadkiem medycznym/psychologicznym/psychiatrycznym, to za mało było analiz, badań, rozważań. Jako promocja "dzieł" pisanych przez bliźniaczki też się nie spełnia. Książka jest po prostu nijaka.
September 21, 2024
“As vulnerable as flowers in hell”
This is such a tragic yet beautiful story. These women were failed by multiple systems. Truly heartbreaking.
This is such a tragic yet beautiful story. These women were failed by multiple systems. Truly heartbreaking.
February 19, 2023
Speravo in qualcosa di più incisivo; la storia delle gemelle Gibbons è oscura e anomala, ma si sfilaccia in una narrazione fin troppo ricca di dettagli monotoni (spostamenti da e per un luogo, dettagli inutilmente minuziosi sui loro giochi d’infanzia, pareri e opinioni di una miriade di specialisti interscambiabili) causati forse dalla formazione giornalistica dell’autrice, più che letteraria.
July 14, 2019
This was a sad, disturbing, painful and upsetting book! About power. About injustice. You may not want to read it for entertainment, but if you are a parent, a psychologist, a doctor, a patient, a twin, a criminal, a politician or anyone in the justice system you can learn from it.
It is about identical twins who isolated themselves socially and emotionally and psychologically and took POWER for themselves. They used aggressive elective mutism to outsmart authority and it backfired on them. Some types of insanity are voluntary abnormal acts by a normal person and later the sane person becomes unable to back out of the insane behaviour and becomes insane. These twins were smart and born normal but developed into psychological abnormals.
"Girls just want to have fun". They light-heartedly went on a fun crime spree of sex, drugs, arson, burglary, theft around age 18 and one wonders about the parents. How could they not know? The parents could not believe the twins committed the crimes, denied this, but how could they not know? The evidence clearly proved the crimes. Aubrey, the father, suggested racial discrimination.
Their trial was a farce, seemed to me a "kangaroo trial" especially regarding the one-time doctor who testified on their "insanity".
The twins June and Jennifer Gibbons were sentenced to indefinite detention (life imprisonment) in Broadmoor, a notorious institution for the criminally insane. Broadmoor then used a most powerful tranquilizing drug and showed them who was boss.
It is a sad story of how the government health authorities at Broadmoor overpowered the twins and got POWER and got the last laugh by drugging them with a strong drug (Depixol) which causes tardive dyskinesia, a mostly irreversible disorder of involuntary movements caused by long-term use of antipsychotic drugs. In their photos there is inferior scleral show, a sign of neuroleptic drugs affecting the brain (I believe this drugging killed Jennifer in 1993 at age 30).
This kind of abuse by health professionals is disgusting. Yes, lock up these out-of-control juvenile delinquents but to permanently damage their brains with drugs???
Parents with identical twins have an extra burden of child-raising to encourage socialization with peers – look what happened here when these twins were not forced to be normal!
It is about identical twins who isolated themselves socially and emotionally and psychologically and took POWER for themselves. They used aggressive elective mutism to outsmart authority and it backfired on them. Some types of insanity are voluntary abnormal acts by a normal person and later the sane person becomes unable to back out of the insane behaviour and becomes insane. These twins were smart and born normal but developed into psychological abnormals.
"Girls just want to have fun". They light-heartedly went on a fun crime spree of sex, drugs, arson, burglary, theft around age 18 and one wonders about the parents. How could they not know? The parents could not believe the twins committed the crimes, denied this, but how could they not know? The evidence clearly proved the crimes. Aubrey, the father, suggested racial discrimination.
Their trial was a farce, seemed to me a "kangaroo trial" especially regarding the one-time doctor who testified on their "insanity".
The twins June and Jennifer Gibbons were sentenced to indefinite detention (life imprisonment) in Broadmoor, a notorious institution for the criminally insane. Broadmoor then used a most powerful tranquilizing drug and showed them who was boss.
It is a sad story of how the government health authorities at Broadmoor overpowered the twins and got POWER and got the last laugh by drugging them with a strong drug (Depixol) which causes tardive dyskinesia, a mostly irreversible disorder of involuntary movements caused by long-term use of antipsychotic drugs. In their photos there is inferior scleral show, a sign of neuroleptic drugs affecting the brain (I believe this drugging killed Jennifer in 1993 at age 30).
This kind of abuse by health professionals is disgusting. Yes, lock up these out-of-control juvenile delinquents but to permanently damage their brains with drugs???
Parents with identical twins have an extra burden of child-raising to encourage socialization with peers – look what happened here when these twins were not forced to be normal!
June 28, 2015
I'm so interested in this case...I wish there was an updated copy (there probably is but I got mine at a library sale...) The bad thing about this book is it was written by a journalist instead of a doctor so she never *why* they acted as they did, only the facts about what happened....
November 6, 2022
Historia sióstr Gibbons jest fascynująca i niepokojąca, dlatego powraca do obszaru zainteresowań twórców popkultury co jakiś czas. Powstawały o nich filmy, były inspiracją do książek, oczywiście napisano tez niezliczoną ilość tekstów dziennikarskich. Teraz milczące bliźniaczki przypomniała w swojej nagradzanej produkcji Agnieszka Smoczyńska. Pewno nie byłoby tego wszystkiego gdyby nie Marjorie Wallace, która jako pierwsza opisała losy June i Jennifer, poznając je i zaprzyjaźniając się z nimi. Jako jedna z niewielu osób została przez nie wpuszczona za zasłonę milczenia, ale też przestudiowała tysiące stron dzienników i innych utworów pisanych przez siostry od dzieciństwa, co pozwoliło jej dość szczegółowo zrekonstruować pierwsze 30 lat ich życia. To jest na pewno duża przewaga reportażu Wallace – jest solidną relacją z pierwszej ręki. Ja mam z nim jednak problem.
„Milczące bliźniaczki” zapowiadały się ekscytująco. Oto mamy niezwykły temat, trochę jak ze „Skandali”, czy „Czarnego lustra”. Pakt milczenia między bliźniaczkami, które komunikowały się tylko miedzy sobą, we własnym ćwierkającym języku. Odcięły się od otoczenia, bo tak zdecydowały, a jednocześnie wykreowały bogaty, pełen narracji i emocji, twórczych pomysłów i działań, świat wewnętrzny tylko na własny użytek. Dynamika ich stosunków – od absolutnej miłości i oddania, po brutalną rywalizację pełną nienawiści – rozbudza wyobraźnię na temat związków między bliźniętami i bliskimi relacjami w ogóle. Niebezpieczeństwa i ryzyko, przyciągało dziewczyny jak lampa ćmę, bo nie miały innego pomysłu jak pokazać się światu i poczuć, że żyją. Tajemnicza śmierć Jennifer. To wszystko zdaje się być materiałem na wciągającą opowieść. I rzeczywiście tak jest, przynajmniej na początku. Przez pierwsze 150 stron nie da się od reportażu Wallace oderwać, trzyma czytelniczkę w napięciu jak najlepszy kryminał. Ale potem tempo spada i historia robi się coraz bardziej nurząca, przez końcówkę brnęłam jak przez bagno, byle się wydostać. Od kiedy siostry Gibbons trafiają do aresztu opisywane są w gruncie rzeczy w kółko te same sytuacje. Detale i dokładne odtwarzanie rutyny każdego dnia nie wnoszą do opowieści niczego nowego. Kiedy zostaną przeniesione do szpitala psychiatrycznego to tempo spada jeszcze bardziej. Dokończyłam lekturę tylko dzięki świetnemu warsztatowi literackiemu Marjorie Wallace, bo muszę przyznać, że miałam wiele momentów zachwytu nad tym jak coś zostało napisane.
Na samym końcu książki autorka umieściła artykuł, który opublikowała w „Sunday Times” w 1994 r. i właściwie pożałowałam, że nie był on umieszczony na początku, bo wtedy mogłabym odpuścić sobie dalszą lekturę, ewentualnie poczytać tylko fragmenty oryginalnych tekstów June i Jen. One są chyba największą wartością tej książki i to na ich podstawie możemy sobie próbować wyobrazić jakimi były osobami. Pełne buzujących emocji, wewnętrznej walki, szczere i poruszające. Na pewno mogą otworzyć pole do dyskusji o naturze twórczości i kreatywności. Smutkiem napawa, że nikt nie umiał wesprzeć bohaterek w rozwoju, a one same nie dały sobie na to szans. Nie poznajemy opinii na ich temat od innych osób, które miały z nimi do czynienia. Być może autorka z nimi rozmawiała, ale jej tekst w całości koncentruje się na samych siostrach, a potem na jej relacji z nimi. Jest przez to dość suchy i pogłębia wrażenie odcięcia. Trochę szkoda, bo chętnie dowiedziałabym się jak w całej tej sytuacji odnajdywali się rodzice i rodzeństwo bliźniaczek. To była zwyczajna, porządna rodzina, Wallace nie opisuje żadnej przemocy, ani traum, które mogłyby przyczynić się do funkcjonowania dziewczyn. Dla rodziców, którzy starali się opiekować się dziećmi jak najlepiej to wszystko na pewno było niezwykle trudne, chciałabym poznać ich perspektywę. Wszystkie opinie ze świata zewnętrznego – strażniczek, współwięźniarek, pracowników szpitali – są przytoczone w sposób bardzo ogólnikowy i rzadko wchodzą w sferę osobistą. Jedynie Marjorie Wallace pozwala sobie na wyrażenie swoich wrażeń i odczuć związanych z kontaktem z siostrami.
I tu mam kolejny problem, bo jest to relacja specyficzna, a rejony w które wyprawia się aktorka żeby o niej opowiadać zupełnie nie są z mojego świata. Ja rozumiem, że dużo rzeczy mogło się wydawać tu dziwnych i niewyjaśnionych, ale jeśli twórczyni literatury faktu zupełnie serio sugeruje, że we wszystkim maczały palce jakieś moce nadprzyrodzone, przywołując do tego przykłady jakichś zbiegów okoliczności z własnego życia, to ja jednak podziękuję. Wiem, ze Wallace była osobą wierząca, podobnie jak siostry Gibbons i pewnie ta sfera duchowa pobudzała wyobraźnię ich wszystkich. Ale jakieś ezoteryczne voo-doo fantazje, może jednak warto zachować dla siebie.
Wynika z tego druga, dla mnie duża wada tej książki. Ponieważ właściwie nie uzyskujemy odpowiedzi na żadne z najważniejszych pytań - dlaczego siostry milczały; co im dolegało; co się stało z Jennifer – zostaje tu otwarte pole do snucia domysłów i nieuprawnionych teorii. Tak więc czytałam już, że bliźniaczki zamknęły się w swoim świecie na skutek rasizmu, którego doświadczały. Nie wynika to z książki zupełnie, a wręcz przeciwnie. Wszyscy starali się im pomóc i otoczyć je troską, oczywiście w rozumieniu tamtych czasów. Na jakichś blogach związanych ze spektrum autyzmu przeczytałam z kolei diagnozę autyzmu sióstr Gibbons ze szczegółowym wyliczeniem cech, które na 100% na to wskazują. Być może June i Jenny były w spektrum, wtedy chyba to niespecjalnie badano, szczególnie u dziewczyn, ale robienie komuś diagnozy na podstawie tekstu reporterskiego sprzed 30 lat, to chyba jednak nadużycie.
„Milczące bliźniaczki” są niewątpliwie ciekawym obrazem epoki, tego jak działał w tym czasie w Wielkiej Brytanii system szkolnictwa, penitencjarny i opieka psychiatryczna, jak funkcjonowali w białych społecznościach czarni imigranci, z dzisiejszej perspektywy wiele rzeczy może zaskoczyć. Nie znalazłam tu jednak niczego uniwersalnego, niczego co mogłoby ze mną zostać, skłonić do refleksji. Chyba wolałabym poznać historię sióstr Gibbons z dzisiejszej perspektywy. Ktoś mógłby porozmawiać z jeszcze żyjącymi świadkami, dowiedzieć się jak żyje dziś June i co o tym wszystkim myśli, dać dokumentację medyczną i dzienniki współczesnym psychiatrom i psychologom, przy okazji pokazać ogromne zmiany, które zaszły w tych obszarach, przeprowadzić dziennikarskie śledztwo bez osobistego zaangażowania i chociaż spróbować udzielić jakichś odpowiedzi.
Kto wie, może jakiś dziennikarz wpadł już na ten pomysł.
Ebooka dostałam od księgarni Woblink:
https://woblink.com/ebook/milczace-bl...
„Milczące bliźniaczki” zapowiadały się ekscytująco. Oto mamy niezwykły temat, trochę jak ze „Skandali”, czy „Czarnego lustra”. Pakt milczenia między bliźniaczkami, które komunikowały się tylko miedzy sobą, we własnym ćwierkającym języku. Odcięły się od otoczenia, bo tak zdecydowały, a jednocześnie wykreowały bogaty, pełen narracji i emocji, twórczych pomysłów i działań, świat wewnętrzny tylko na własny użytek. Dynamika ich stosunków – od absolutnej miłości i oddania, po brutalną rywalizację pełną nienawiści – rozbudza wyobraźnię na temat związków między bliźniętami i bliskimi relacjami w ogóle. Niebezpieczeństwa i ryzyko, przyciągało dziewczyny jak lampa ćmę, bo nie miały innego pomysłu jak pokazać się światu i poczuć, że żyją. Tajemnicza śmierć Jennifer. To wszystko zdaje się być materiałem na wciągającą opowieść. I rzeczywiście tak jest, przynajmniej na początku. Przez pierwsze 150 stron nie da się od reportażu Wallace oderwać, trzyma czytelniczkę w napięciu jak najlepszy kryminał. Ale potem tempo spada i historia robi się coraz bardziej nurząca, przez końcówkę brnęłam jak przez bagno, byle się wydostać. Od kiedy siostry Gibbons trafiają do aresztu opisywane są w gruncie rzeczy w kółko te same sytuacje. Detale i dokładne odtwarzanie rutyny każdego dnia nie wnoszą do opowieści niczego nowego. Kiedy zostaną przeniesione do szpitala psychiatrycznego to tempo spada jeszcze bardziej. Dokończyłam lekturę tylko dzięki świetnemu warsztatowi literackiemu Marjorie Wallace, bo muszę przyznać, że miałam wiele momentów zachwytu nad tym jak coś zostało napisane.
Na samym końcu książki autorka umieściła artykuł, który opublikowała w „Sunday Times” w 1994 r. i właściwie pożałowałam, że nie był on umieszczony na początku, bo wtedy mogłabym odpuścić sobie dalszą lekturę, ewentualnie poczytać tylko fragmenty oryginalnych tekstów June i Jen. One są chyba największą wartością tej książki i to na ich podstawie możemy sobie próbować wyobrazić jakimi były osobami. Pełne buzujących emocji, wewnętrznej walki, szczere i poruszające. Na pewno mogą otworzyć pole do dyskusji o naturze twórczości i kreatywności. Smutkiem napawa, że nikt nie umiał wesprzeć bohaterek w rozwoju, a one same nie dały sobie na to szans. Nie poznajemy opinii na ich temat od innych osób, które miały z nimi do czynienia. Być może autorka z nimi rozmawiała, ale jej tekst w całości koncentruje się na samych siostrach, a potem na jej relacji z nimi. Jest przez to dość suchy i pogłębia wrażenie odcięcia. Trochę szkoda, bo chętnie dowiedziałabym się jak w całej tej sytuacji odnajdywali się rodzice i rodzeństwo bliźniaczek. To była zwyczajna, porządna rodzina, Wallace nie opisuje żadnej przemocy, ani traum, które mogłyby przyczynić się do funkcjonowania dziewczyn. Dla rodziców, którzy starali się opiekować się dziećmi jak najlepiej to wszystko na pewno było niezwykle trudne, chciałabym poznać ich perspektywę. Wszystkie opinie ze świata zewnętrznego – strażniczek, współwięźniarek, pracowników szpitali – są przytoczone w sposób bardzo ogólnikowy i rzadko wchodzą w sferę osobistą. Jedynie Marjorie Wallace pozwala sobie na wyrażenie swoich wrażeń i odczuć związanych z kontaktem z siostrami.
I tu mam kolejny problem, bo jest to relacja specyficzna, a rejony w które wyprawia się aktorka żeby o niej opowiadać zupełnie nie są z mojego świata. Ja rozumiem, że dużo rzeczy mogło się wydawać tu dziwnych i niewyjaśnionych, ale jeśli twórczyni literatury faktu zupełnie serio sugeruje, że we wszystkim maczały palce jakieś moce nadprzyrodzone, przywołując do tego przykłady jakichś zbiegów okoliczności z własnego życia, to ja jednak podziękuję. Wiem, ze Wallace była osobą wierząca, podobnie jak siostry Gibbons i pewnie ta sfera duchowa pobudzała wyobraźnię ich wszystkich. Ale jakieś ezoteryczne voo-doo fantazje, może jednak warto zachować dla siebie.
Wynika z tego druga, dla mnie duża wada tej książki. Ponieważ właściwie nie uzyskujemy odpowiedzi na żadne z najważniejszych pytań - dlaczego siostry milczały; co im dolegało; co się stało z Jennifer – zostaje tu otwarte pole do snucia domysłów i nieuprawnionych teorii. Tak więc czytałam już, że bliźniaczki zamknęły się w swoim świecie na skutek rasizmu, którego doświadczały. Nie wynika to z książki zupełnie, a wręcz przeciwnie. Wszyscy starali się im pomóc i otoczyć je troską, oczywiście w rozumieniu tamtych czasów. Na jakichś blogach związanych ze spektrum autyzmu przeczytałam z kolei diagnozę autyzmu sióstr Gibbons ze szczegółowym wyliczeniem cech, które na 100% na to wskazują. Być może June i Jenny były w spektrum, wtedy chyba to niespecjalnie badano, szczególnie u dziewczyn, ale robienie komuś diagnozy na podstawie tekstu reporterskiego sprzed 30 lat, to chyba jednak nadużycie.
„Milczące bliźniaczki” są niewątpliwie ciekawym obrazem epoki, tego jak działał w tym czasie w Wielkiej Brytanii system szkolnictwa, penitencjarny i opieka psychiatryczna, jak funkcjonowali w białych społecznościach czarni imigranci, z dzisiejszej perspektywy wiele rzeczy może zaskoczyć. Nie znalazłam tu jednak niczego uniwersalnego, niczego co mogłoby ze mną zostać, skłonić do refleksji. Chyba wolałabym poznać historię sióstr Gibbons z dzisiejszej perspektywy. Ktoś mógłby porozmawiać z jeszcze żyjącymi świadkami, dowiedzieć się jak żyje dziś June i co o tym wszystkim myśli, dać dokumentację medyczną i dzienniki współczesnym psychiatrom i psychologom, przy okazji pokazać ogromne zmiany, które zaszły w tych obszarach, przeprowadzić dziennikarskie śledztwo bez osobistego zaangażowania i chociaż spróbować udzielić jakichś odpowiedzi.
Kto wie, może jakiś dziennikarz wpadł już na ten pomysł.
Ebooka dostałam od księgarni Woblink:
https://woblink.com/ebook/milczace-bl...
October 24, 2022
Całkowicie prawidłowo rozwijające się dziewczynki, urodzone we wczesnych latach sześćdziesiątych, tuż przed ukończeniem czwartego roku życia z dnia na dzień zaczęły ignorować rodziców, jak gdyby złożyły śluby milczenia. Wyróżniając się osobliwym zachowaniem, odwracały się od społeczeństwa, na tyle, że w wieku czternastu lat przestały prowadzić jakiekolwiek rozmowy, nawet w szkole. Liczne interwencje nie przynosiły skutków, rozdzielnie ich tylko pogłębiało problem, skierowanie do szkoły specjalnej również się nie sprawdziło.... Gwoździem do trumny okazało się zniewolenie ich w Broadmoor, szpitalu psychiatrycznym o zaostrzonym rygorze, w którym przebywali najgorsi przestępcy.
Historia Jennifer i June Gibbons przepełniona jest żalem, bólem, brakiem prawdziwej miłości i pragnieniem zmiany. Chęcią wyrwania się z tego stuporu, zdezerterowaniem z dwuosobowej wojny psychologicznej podjętej przeciwko innym, jak również przeciw sobie nawzajem. Czuć w niej pustkę, która jest niemożliwa do wypełnienia. Refleksje despotycznych, a zarazem zepchniętych na margines społeczny dziewczynek o wysoce patologicznych i naiwnych zachowaniach wzbudzają w czytelniku sporo skrajnych emocji.
Reportaż ten czyta się z nieustannym poczuciem napięcia i niepokoju. Rozszyfrowanie pamiętników bliźniaczek, które autorka poddaje szczegółowej analizie prowadząc nas przez życie Jennifer i June jest niezwykle emocjonujące. Wybrzmiewa z nich strach, potrzeba seksualnej bliskości, niskie poczucie własnej wartości, ogrom kompleksów i marzeń niemożliwych do spełnienia. Wadliwe funkcjonowanie systemu dobitnie frustruje i pozostawia czytelnika z milionem pytań kłębiących się w głowie...
Historia Jennifer i June Gibbons przepełniona jest żalem, bólem, brakiem prawdziwej miłości i pragnieniem zmiany. Chęcią wyrwania się z tego stuporu, zdezerterowaniem z dwuosobowej wojny psychologicznej podjętej przeciwko innym, jak również przeciw sobie nawzajem. Czuć w niej pustkę, która jest niemożliwa do wypełnienia. Refleksje despotycznych, a zarazem zepchniętych na margines społeczny dziewczynek o wysoce patologicznych i naiwnych zachowaniach wzbudzają w czytelniku sporo skrajnych emocji.
Reportaż ten czyta się z nieustannym poczuciem napięcia i niepokoju. Rozszyfrowanie pamiętników bliźniaczek, które autorka poddaje szczegółowej analizie prowadząc nas przez życie Jennifer i June jest niezwykle emocjonujące. Wybrzmiewa z nich strach, potrzeba seksualnej bliskości, niskie poczucie własnej wartości, ogrom kompleksów i marzeń niemożliwych do spełnienia. Wadliwe funkcjonowanie systemu dobitnie frustruje i pozostawia czytelnika z milionem pytań kłębiących się w głowie...
June 23, 2012
Facinating story, hated the writing.
June 22, 2015
No closure, no ending, no solutions or insight offered by the author. What happened to the girls? I wouldn't know, the book just ended. Book needs cutting down and a good polish.
June 9, 2024
Lo dico subito, ho sentimenti molto contrastanti.
In breve è la storia di due gemelle che a un certo momento dell'infanzia hanno deciso di giocare al gioco del silenzio e ne sono rimaste ingabbiate.
Il motivo per cui hanno deciso di chiudere i ponti con l'esterno nn si conosce, forse per la timidezza estrema, forse per il bullismo che subivano o chissà che altro.
Crescendo è diventato sempre più difficile uscire da quella gabbia.
La difficoltà, la frustrazione e probabilmente le compagnie sbagliate le hanno portate a 19 anni ad essere dichiarate psicopatiche e internate in un istituto prichiatrico per criminali per circa 10 anni.
È un caso che ha destato scandalo e clamore per il trattamento superficiale che hanno subito, perché a quanto pare erano solo delle ragazzine abbandonate a sé stesse affette da mutismo selettivo.
La storia è raccontata dalla giornalista Marjorie Wallace che ha letto e citato parti abbastanza intime dei diari che le gemelle hanno tenuto negli anni.
Perché sì, parlavano poco o nulla con le persone ma scrivevano moltissimo.
Ed è questo il punto, ci sono molte parti virgolettate, il testo dà accesso a pensieri molto intimi delle gemelle, ponendo l'attenzione sul sentimento di amore e odio che provavano tra loro.
Due cloni che cercavano disperatamente di affrancarsi e differenziarsi l'una dall'altra senza riuscire a tagliare il filo che le incatenava.
Mi è sembrato però un' invasione dell'intimità davvero eccessiva, e nn ho apprezzato affatto l'ultima parte, quella aggiornata al 2022, in cui la giornalista parla in un modo a mio avviso troppo ego riferito, soprattutto quando elenca tutti i meriti e i successi che ha ottenuto con la storia. Inoltre mi aspettavo una qualche analisi psicolgica e ancora più fastidio mi ha dato la spiegazione "quasi magica" dell'epilogo.
La cosa ancor più straniante poi è che June (o chi per lei) è su istagram.
In breve è la storia di due gemelle che a un certo momento dell'infanzia hanno deciso di giocare al gioco del silenzio e ne sono rimaste ingabbiate.
Il motivo per cui hanno deciso di chiudere i ponti con l'esterno nn si conosce, forse per la timidezza estrema, forse per il bullismo che subivano o chissà che altro.
Crescendo è diventato sempre più difficile uscire da quella gabbia.
La difficoltà, la frustrazione e probabilmente le compagnie sbagliate le hanno portate a 19 anni ad essere dichiarate psicopatiche e internate in un istituto prichiatrico per criminali per circa 10 anni.
È un caso che ha destato scandalo e clamore per il trattamento superficiale che hanno subito, perché a quanto pare erano solo delle ragazzine abbandonate a sé stesse affette da mutismo selettivo.
La storia è raccontata dalla giornalista Marjorie Wallace che ha letto e citato parti abbastanza intime dei diari che le gemelle hanno tenuto negli anni.
Perché sì, parlavano poco o nulla con le persone ma scrivevano moltissimo.
Ed è questo il punto, ci sono molte parti virgolettate, il testo dà accesso a pensieri molto intimi delle gemelle, ponendo l'attenzione sul sentimento di amore e odio che provavano tra loro.
Due cloni che cercavano disperatamente di affrancarsi e differenziarsi l'una dall'altra senza riuscire a tagliare il filo che le incatenava.
Mi è sembrato però un' invasione dell'intimità davvero eccessiva, e nn ho apprezzato affatto l'ultima parte, quella aggiornata al 2022, in cui la giornalista parla in un modo a mio avviso troppo ego riferito, soprattutto quando elenca tutti i meriti e i successi che ha ottenuto con la storia. Inoltre mi aspettavo una qualche analisi psicolgica e ancora più fastidio mi ha dato la spiegazione "quasi magica" dell'epilogo.
La cosa ancor più straniante poi è che June (o chi per lei) è su istagram.
November 10, 2018
One of the saddest, most heartbreaking accounts of two extraordinary, gifted identical twin females, June and Jennifer Gibbons, whose lives were compromised for one, and destroyed for another, by a shared and devastating mental illness.
This is a poem June wrote in 1983 while she was at Broadmoor Asylum, in the full grip of hopelessness and despair, and under the influence of psychotropic drugs prescribed to ensure her compliance:
I am immune from sanity or insanity
I am an empty present box; all
Unwrapped for someone else’s disposal.
I am a thrown away eggshell,
With no life inside me, for I am
Not touchable, but a slave to nothingness.
I feel nothing, I have nothing, for I am
Transparent to life; I am a silver
Streamer on a balloon; a balloon
Which will fly away without any
Oxygen inside. I feel nothing,
For I am nothing, but I can
See the world from up here.
Journalist Marjorie Wallace ends her excellent book while the twins were still at Broadmoor, each being held separately and allowed very little mutual contact. With some trepidation, I researched the present day circumstances of the twins and I found this article by Ms. Wallace, dated from 2003, who has over the years remained in contact with and a friend to the Gibbons’.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2...
This is a poem June wrote in 1983 while she was at Broadmoor Asylum, in the full grip of hopelessness and despair, and under the influence of psychotropic drugs prescribed to ensure her compliance:
I am immune from sanity or insanity
I am an empty present box; all
Unwrapped for someone else’s disposal.
I am a thrown away eggshell,
With no life inside me, for I am
Not touchable, but a slave to nothingness.
I feel nothing, I have nothing, for I am
Transparent to life; I am a silver
Streamer on a balloon; a balloon
Which will fly away without any
Oxygen inside. I feel nothing,
For I am nothing, but I can
See the world from up here.
Journalist Marjorie Wallace ends her excellent book while the twins were still at Broadmoor, each being held separately and allowed very little mutual contact. With some trepidation, I researched the present day circumstances of the twins and I found this article by Ms. Wallace, dated from 2003, who has over the years remained in contact with and a friend to the Gibbons’.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2...
August 10, 2023
Książka byłaby super, gdyby nie rozdrabnianie się.
Jakby, nie potrzebuje znać całego życiorysu każdego lekarza. Po co mam wiedzieć gdzie się wychowywał i jak miała na imię jego matka?
Jakby, nie potrzebuje znać całego życiorysu każdego lekarza. Po co mam wiedzieć gdzie się wychowywał i jak miała na imię jego matka?
January 25, 2024
A quite mediocre book about the Gibbons twins.
We hear little to nothing of their psychiatric evaluations or possible diagnoses. We get family history but no real insight from family members of their feelings over the twins' shockingly long incarceration.
Instead we get pages and pages of fictional writing from the twins, their lamentations on skanky boys who just want to have sex with them, treat them like shit and then discard them. Again no real insight from June as to what was really going on in their heads throughout their childhood/teenagehood.
SPOILER ALERT*****************************
********
********
********
********
THIS PARAGRAPH IS A SPOILER*************
Then the final part and Wallace is shocked and perturbed at the "mysterious" death of Jennifer aged 29. She seems to forget that paint thinner and glue sniffing, and abuse of alcohol, as well as eating disorders were high on the agenda of both twins during a large part of their youth. The heart doesn't take kindly to glue sniffing, solvents or eating disorders so I'm pretty sure this is what contributed to Jennifer's tragic early death, yet Wallace is horrified and seems to hint at something more sinister.
***** END OF SPOILER*****
The case of the twins is odd yet not thoroughly examined by Wallace. It seems to have been a sensational piece written by a glory hunter. A disappointingly half-arsed look at the unusual lives of two unique women who each seem to have been the toxic element in the other's life.
We hear little to nothing of their psychiatric evaluations or possible diagnoses. We get family history but no real insight from family members of their feelings over the twins' shockingly long incarceration.
Instead we get pages and pages of fictional writing from the twins, their lamentations on skanky boys who just want to have sex with them, treat them like shit and then discard them. Again no real insight from June as to what was really going on in their heads throughout their childhood/teenagehood.
SPOILER ALERT*****************************
********
********
********
********
THIS PARAGRAPH IS A SPOILER*************
Then the final part and Wallace is shocked and perturbed at the "mysterious" death of Jennifer aged 29. She seems to forget that paint thinner and glue sniffing, and abuse of alcohol, as well as eating disorders were high on the agenda of both twins during a large part of their youth. The heart doesn't take kindly to glue sniffing, solvents or eating disorders so I'm pretty sure this is what contributed to Jennifer's tragic early death, yet Wallace is horrified and seems to hint at something more sinister.
***** END OF SPOILER*****
The case of the twins is odd yet not thoroughly examined by Wallace. It seems to have been a sensational piece written by a glory hunter. A disappointingly half-arsed look at the unusual lives of two unique women who each seem to have been the toxic element in the other's life.
April 24, 2023
È il 1963 quando Jennifer e June Gibbons, di origine caraibica ma residenti in Inghilterra sin dalla prima infanzia, vedono la luce. Le gemelle, identiche in tutto e per tutto, sviluppano nel corso degli anni un rapporto talmente esclusivo da risultare morboso, godendo l’una della compagnia dell’altra e tagliando fuori chiunque altro, inclusa la loro famiglia.
Complice probabilmente l’emarginazione sociale dovuta all’essere le uniche bambine nere dell’area, June e Jennifer arrivano a dirittura a creare una sorta di loro lingua, e a non rivolgere la parola a nessuno al di fuori l’una dell’altra: è così che si guadagnano il soprannome di “silent twins”.
Vittime e carnefici l’una dell’altra, imprigionate in una società ed in un contesto che non ha familiarità alcuna con la malattia mentale, le gemelle silenziose scivolano piano piano in una spirale di alienazione e sofferenza, odio e amore verso la propria speculare controparte, fino a ricorrere alla criminalità.
Conoscevo già, per grandi linee, la storia di June e Jennifer Gibbons, ma l’inchiesta che ne fa Marjorie Wallace, giornalista del Sunday Times, getta luce su molti degli aspetti meno noti. Quella della giornalista è un’inchiesta giornalistica in tutto e per tutto: non vi è empatia né considerazioni personali, solo fatti, testimonianze e citazioni tratte dai diari delle gemelle stesse.
“Le gemelle silenziose” è un reportage che mi ha fatta arrabbiare e che mi ha offerto numerosissimi spunti di riflessione, seppure forse ridondante in alcuni punti, l’ho apprezzato moltissimo.
Complice probabilmente l’emarginazione sociale dovuta all’essere le uniche bambine nere dell’area, June e Jennifer arrivano a dirittura a creare una sorta di loro lingua, e a non rivolgere la parola a nessuno al di fuori l’una dell’altra: è così che si guadagnano il soprannome di “silent twins”.
Vittime e carnefici l’una dell’altra, imprigionate in una società ed in un contesto che non ha familiarità alcuna con la malattia mentale, le gemelle silenziose scivolano piano piano in una spirale di alienazione e sofferenza, odio e amore verso la propria speculare controparte, fino a ricorrere alla criminalità.
Conoscevo già, per grandi linee, la storia di June e Jennifer Gibbons, ma l’inchiesta che ne fa Marjorie Wallace, giornalista del Sunday Times, getta luce su molti degli aspetti meno noti. Quella della giornalista è un’inchiesta giornalistica in tutto e per tutto: non vi è empatia né considerazioni personali, solo fatti, testimonianze e citazioni tratte dai diari delle gemelle stesse.
“Le gemelle silenziose” è un reportage che mi ha fatta arrabbiare e che mi ha offerto numerosissimi spunti di riflessione, seppure forse ridondante in alcuni punti, l’ho apprezzato moltissimo.
May 20, 2023
Historia milczących bliźniaczek była mi znana tylko w takim zakresie, że wiedziałam, że nie mówiły, bo tak same zdecydowały.
W książce dostałam dramat młodych dziewczyn, którym ani system edukacji, ani system ochrony zdrowia nie umiał pomóc.
Ponieważ obie całe życie prowadziły pamiętniki - możemy poznać ich głębokie życie wewnętrzne, którego nikomu nie ujawniały oraz dużą wrażliwość.
W książce dostałam dramat młodych dziewczyn, którym ani system edukacji, ani system ochrony zdrowia nie umiał pomóc.
Ponieważ obie całe życie prowadziły pamiętniki - możemy poznać ich głębokie życie wewnętrzne, którego nikomu nie ujawniały oraz dużą wrażliwość.
May 23, 2023
350 stron reportażu i nie dowiedziałam się kompletnie niczego
January 19, 2024
I'm honestly disturbed by this book. The casual racism by those interviewed, the systemic racism that is barely commented on, and constant implication that Jennifer, the one considered to be more ill, was evil or possessed even by the author makes clear the injustice in their case even by those sympathetic to their plight. Jennifer is referred to as 'sinister' every few pages and to make clear how unserious the whole book is, June makes a reference to Jennifer in a spooky moment with the author and then a week later the author seems half convinced that Jennifer, who is dead, is somehow responsible for her breast cancer diagnosis.
Something I found interesting is that June was maybe trans but the author and all involved act like the chest binding both did and June's feelings re: being male were just part of a Peter Pan desire to not grow up.
June: "All through my schooldays I often thought and confessed I was a boy. I got strange feeling I was a boy under all my female assets. It’s as though I’d been a boy first in my life."
cw: this is a 1980s book based a 1960s case so slurs of all sorts abound, sanism, racism
Something I found interesting is that June was maybe trans but the author and all involved act like the chest binding both did and June's feelings re: being male were just part of a Peter Pan desire to not grow up.
June: "All through my schooldays I often thought and confessed I was a boy. I got strange feeling I was a boy under all my female assets. It’s as though I’d been a boy first in my life."
cw: this is a 1980s book based a 1960s case so slurs of all sorts abound, sanism, racism
May 10, 2015
'For you my dear sister,
Holding onto you forever,
Disco dancing with the rapists,
Your only crime is silence.'
Holding onto you forever,
Disco dancing with the rapists,
Your only crime is silence.'
August 3, 2017
Avevo letto della vicenda delle gemelle Gibbons varie volte, soprattutto su post trovati qua e la in rete e che avevano titoli come "i 10 articoli più inquietanti di Wikipedia", "i 5 casi psichiatrici più disturbanti" e altre cose del genere, articoli dei era chiarissimo dove volessero andare a parare.
Essendo un estimatore delle stranezze del mondo, quando ho scoperto che esisteva una traduzione italiana del libro che raccontava la storia di queste due inquietanti sorelle, non me lo sono lasciato sfuggire.
"Le gemelle che non parlavano" (domanda al traduttore, perché questo titolo e non "Le gemelle silenziose" molto più simile all'originale "the silent twins"?) non è il resoconto di un caso clinico, come potrebbe far pensare l'introduzione del grande Oliver Sacks, ma una vera e propria biografia. Un opera lontana, nei toni, dagli articoli nominati poco sopra. Non presenta quegli artifici retorici che servono per arricchire di atmosfera la vicenda. L'autrice, una giornalista che aveva seguito il processo alle due gemelle per un caso di piromania, si limita a raccontare le loro vite deducendole dai loro fittissimi diari e dai pochi stentati colloqui avuti con June e Jennifer, questi i nomi delle sorelle, nella saletta di un ospedale psichiatrico. Eppure il libro risulta quanto mai inquietante, ci spinge a porci domande sui limiti della nostra individualità, sulla natura dei nostri rapporti con gli altri.
Le gemelle Gibbons vengono descritte come intrappolate nel gioco infantile che abbiamo fatto un po' tutti da piccoli, quello in cui ci si doveva fissare e il primo che avesse fatto un movimento avrebbe perso. Ma questo gioco, per le due sorelle, si è espande fino a occupare ogni aspetto della loro vita e, addirittura, a confondersi con essa. Ogni ora delle loro giornate è una lotta continua in cui l'una tenta di fagocitare l'individualità dell'altra, un rapporto dal quale entrambe cercano di sottrarsi senza però riuscirci tale è la bramosia di dominarsi a vicenda ma anche di non rimanere sole in un mondo che per loro è una terra straniera.La narrazione di Marjorie Wallace e secca, dettagliata ed efficace nella migliore tradizione anglosassone e fa trasparire una grande empatia verso queste due anime in pena, trascurate prima dalla famiglia, poi dalla scuola e non comprese né dal sistema giudiziario prima né da quello sanitario poi.
Un libro e una vicenda che non lascerà indifferente nessuno.
Coda
Essendo stato scritto nel 1986, il libro si conclude proprio nel bel mezzo del ricovero delle gemelle nell'ospedale psichiatrico di Broadmore, alla vicenda manca quindi il finale che avvenne nel 1993.
Da lungo tempo e dopo molti tormenti, June e Jennifer avevano compreso che, se avessero continuato a vivere entrambe, non sarebbero mai state libere: una di loro doveva quindi morire; Jennifer decise di essere lei stessa a fare questo sacrificio.
Nel Marzo del 1993 subito dopo il loro trasferimento da Broadmoore alla clinica Caswell, nel Galles, la donna entrò in una sorta di stato catalettico dal quale non uscì mai più, almeno fino alla sua morte che avvenne quello stesso mese per un'acuta miocardia. Sul suo corpo non venne trovata alcuna traccia di veleno né di altri segni che potesse far pensare a un suicidio e la sua morte risulta a tutt'oggi misteriosa.June, incontrata dalla Wallace qualche giorno dopo, viene descritta di umore strano e le sue parole a proposito del decesso della sorella furono queste: " sono libera, alla fine Jennifer ha dato la sua vita per me".Ora June vive una vita quieta ma normale, dimessa dall'ospedale molto tempo fa, vive vicino ai genitori e cerca faticosamente di lasciare le vicende della sua giovinezza alle spalle.
Essendo un estimatore delle stranezze del mondo, quando ho scoperto che esisteva una traduzione italiana del libro che raccontava la storia di queste due inquietanti sorelle, non me lo sono lasciato sfuggire.
"Le gemelle che non parlavano" (domanda al traduttore, perché questo titolo e non "Le gemelle silenziose" molto più simile all'originale "the silent twins"?) non è il resoconto di un caso clinico, come potrebbe far pensare l'introduzione del grande Oliver Sacks, ma una vera e propria biografia. Un opera lontana, nei toni, dagli articoli nominati poco sopra. Non presenta quegli artifici retorici che servono per arricchire di atmosfera la vicenda. L'autrice, una giornalista che aveva seguito il processo alle due gemelle per un caso di piromania, si limita a raccontare le loro vite deducendole dai loro fittissimi diari e dai pochi stentati colloqui avuti con June e Jennifer, questi i nomi delle sorelle, nella saletta di un ospedale psichiatrico. Eppure il libro risulta quanto mai inquietante, ci spinge a porci domande sui limiti della nostra individualità, sulla natura dei nostri rapporti con gli altri.
Le gemelle Gibbons vengono descritte come intrappolate nel gioco infantile che abbiamo fatto un po' tutti da piccoli, quello in cui ci si doveva fissare e il primo che avesse fatto un movimento avrebbe perso. Ma questo gioco, per le due sorelle, si è espande fino a occupare ogni aspetto della loro vita e, addirittura, a confondersi con essa. Ogni ora delle loro giornate è una lotta continua in cui l'una tenta di fagocitare l'individualità dell'altra, un rapporto dal quale entrambe cercano di sottrarsi senza però riuscirci tale è la bramosia di dominarsi a vicenda ma anche di non rimanere sole in un mondo che per loro è una terra straniera.La narrazione di Marjorie Wallace e secca, dettagliata ed efficace nella migliore tradizione anglosassone e fa trasparire una grande empatia verso queste due anime in pena, trascurate prima dalla famiglia, poi dalla scuola e non comprese né dal sistema giudiziario prima né da quello sanitario poi.
Un libro e una vicenda che non lascerà indifferente nessuno.
Coda
Essendo stato scritto nel 1986, il libro si conclude proprio nel bel mezzo del ricovero delle gemelle nell'ospedale psichiatrico di Broadmore, alla vicenda manca quindi il finale che avvenne nel 1993.
Da lungo tempo e dopo molti tormenti, June e Jennifer avevano compreso che, se avessero continuato a vivere entrambe, non sarebbero mai state libere: una di loro doveva quindi morire; Jennifer decise di essere lei stessa a fare questo sacrificio.
Nel Marzo del 1993 subito dopo il loro trasferimento da Broadmoore alla clinica Caswell, nel Galles, la donna entrò in una sorta di stato catalettico dal quale non uscì mai più, almeno fino alla sua morte che avvenne quello stesso mese per un'acuta miocardia. Sul suo corpo non venne trovata alcuna traccia di veleno né di altri segni che potesse far pensare a un suicidio e la sua morte risulta a tutt'oggi misteriosa.June, incontrata dalla Wallace qualche giorno dopo, viene descritta di umore strano e le sue parole a proposito del decesso della sorella furono queste: " sono libera, alla fine Jennifer ha dato la sua vita per me".Ora June vive una vita quieta ma normale, dimessa dall'ospedale molto tempo fa, vive vicino ai genitori e cerca faticosamente di lasciare le vicende della sua giovinezza alle spalle.
June 11, 2022
The Twins’ story is touching and heartbreaking. They were neglected in so many ways throughout their entire life; their story actually became infuriating to read at some points. The book itself was well written and the author did a great job in getting their story told.
March 31, 2014
This is the extraordinary story of June and Jennifer Gibbons, identical twins born in the UK in 1963 to parents of Barbadian heritage. Their lives captivated the nation and were the inspiration behind the lyrics of Tsunami by the Manic Street Preachers.
Initially all appeared to be normal with the young twins, but they were soon to withdraw from the outside world, rejecting verbal communication and speaking to each other only through their own private cryptophasia or secret language. Viewed with suspicion by their school authorities the pair were eventually sent to a special needs school.
After leaving school at sixteen the Gibbons sisters withdrew to their bedroom and an imaginary dark fantasy world of doll play and later writing, including voluminous diaries, short stories and novels. Their lives took a sinister turn when they were drawn into sex, drugs and crime through their relationship with some local boys. After a spate of arson attacks, June and Jennifer were convicted, sent to prison, and then to the infamous mental health hospital, Broadmoor, where they were diagnosed with schizophrenia and prescribed anti-psychotic drugs. Unable to live together or apart, the twins' bizarre love-hate relationship only intensified during their eleven years in Broadmoor, culminating in a death pact and the mysterious death of one twin on the day of their release.
Author and renowned investigative journalist Marjorie Wallace, who established a relationship with June and Jennifer during their long years of incarceration, utilises a matter of fact, non-sensationalist and compassionate writing style to narrate a tragic story that offers an insight into the complex nature of twinship.
Initially all appeared to be normal with the young twins, but they were soon to withdraw from the outside world, rejecting verbal communication and speaking to each other only through their own private cryptophasia or secret language. Viewed with suspicion by their school authorities the pair were eventually sent to a special needs school.
After leaving school at sixteen the Gibbons sisters withdrew to their bedroom and an imaginary dark fantasy world of doll play and later writing, including voluminous diaries, short stories and novels. Their lives took a sinister turn when they were drawn into sex, drugs and crime through their relationship with some local boys. After a spate of arson attacks, June and Jennifer were convicted, sent to prison, and then to the infamous mental health hospital, Broadmoor, where they were diagnosed with schizophrenia and prescribed anti-psychotic drugs. Unable to live together or apart, the twins' bizarre love-hate relationship only intensified during their eleven years in Broadmoor, culminating in a death pact and the mysterious death of one twin on the day of their release.
Author and renowned investigative journalist Marjorie Wallace, who established a relationship with June and Jennifer during their long years of incarceration, utilises a matter of fact, non-sensationalist and compassionate writing style to narrate a tragic story that offers an insight into the complex nature of twinship.
January 11, 2023
Storia vera, pazzesca e super interessante.
E allora perché solo due stelle? Perché questo è uno di quei casi in cui un autore poco capace riesce a rendere noiosa e faticosa da leggere anche una vicenda di per sé avvincente.
Troppi salti temporali in qua e in là, momenti in cui non si capisce bene a “quando” ci si riferisce e parti che potevano essere trattate in poche righe senza togliere nulla al tutto… diciamo che di sicuro poteva essere più corto.
Ci ho messo una vita a finirlo.
Solitamente se un libro mi crea così tanta fatica lo abbandono, ma volevo davvero conoscere tutta la storia delle gemelle Gibbons perchè, appunto, di per sé è interessante.
Quindi sono contenta di averlo letto, se fosse stato scritto meglio avrei fatto anche prima.
E allora perché solo due stelle? Perché questo è uno di quei casi in cui un autore poco capace riesce a rendere noiosa e faticosa da leggere anche una vicenda di per sé avvincente.
Troppi salti temporali in qua e in là, momenti in cui non si capisce bene a “quando” ci si riferisce e parti che potevano essere trattate in poche righe senza togliere nulla al tutto… diciamo che di sicuro poteva essere più corto.
Ci ho messo una vita a finirlo.
Solitamente se un libro mi crea così tanta fatica lo abbandono, ma volevo davvero conoscere tutta la storia delle gemelle Gibbons perchè, appunto, di per sé è interessante.
Quindi sono contenta di averlo letto, se fosse stato scritto meglio avrei fatto anche prima.
September 23, 2023
Mi piacciono molto i libri basati su una storia vera. La vicenda delle gemelle Gibbons è davvero incredibile. Le due ragazze sono state vittime di pregiudizi e dell'ignoranza. Hanno vissuto una gran parte della loro vita rinchiuse tra istituti e carcere.
Il libro è pieno di dettagli sulla loro vita e racconta le varie sventure delle due gemelle. Purtroppo la lettura non è stata facile. Dalla seconda metà del libro diventa un po ripetitiva con diversi salti temporali. Come racconto l'ho trovato un po' distaccato e freddo. Esprime bene i fatti ma non suscita molte emozioni. E' un ottimo reportage. Non è una lettura, secondo me, per chi si aspetta un romanzo pieno di colpi di scena.
Il libro è pieno di dettagli sulla loro vita e racconta le varie sventure delle due gemelle. Purtroppo la lettura non è stata facile. Dalla seconda metà del libro diventa un po ripetitiva con diversi salti temporali. Come racconto l'ho trovato un po' distaccato e freddo. Esprime bene i fatti ma non suscita molte emozioni. E' un ottimo reportage. Non è una lettura, secondo me, per chi si aspetta un romanzo pieno di colpi di scena.
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