The Shape of Three

by Lilith Norman

The lives of two Australian families are disrupted by a chance meeting with far-reaching effects.

Genres: Fiction

Paperback

First published January 1, 1972

Reviews

[Maxine]

I first read this book in primary school and found it captivating. I found it again in a second hand book shop. Reread it in a day. Loved the depiction of the 70’s, the contrasting depictions of family life and the moral dilemma and consequences of trying to correct a life changing mistake.

[Bonnie]

Birthday Book #67 from my friend Diana. This is an Australian young readers classic about two children (one of them half of a set of twins) who accidentally went home with the wrong families after a fire at the hospital created the chaos that misidentified them. Bruce and Greg (the actual, identical twins) run into each other at a fair, stunned to see their own double, and the ball starts rolling from there. Shane grew up as Greg's fraternal twin, but actually belongs, biologically, to Bruce's parents (and vice versa) and after much legal maneuvering (all done behind the scenes, because what kid wants to be bored with that?) Shane and Bruce switch homes. The contrast between the two families, Shane's middle class home with several siblings and Bruce's privileged only child status, makes a difficult adjustment even harder. I thought it was a gripping read, rather heavy themes for a young reader, but it ended sort of oddly for me.

[Gloria]

This was one of the best books I read as a child and I loved the real life characters that spoke to your heart. I got quite teary when I read that she died in 2017. Her book "Climb a lonely hill" was also one of my favourites.

[Amanda Rutendo]

you don't know life till you have read this book

[Vaishnavi]

just want to know about it

[Miranda]

Imagine meeting someone who looked exactly like you! Greg Herbert and Bruce Cunningham did - one day at the Royal Easter Show. It's a million to one chance or is it? The two boys from very different families are about to discover a terrible secret - one set to tear their families in two.

Fantastic, I read it back in the 70's and loved it, very moving

[Katerina Koblentsky]

I too read this many years ago and have just re-read it. A great story for young teens which doesn't talk down. It is well written and easy to read. Probably a bit tame by today's standards but I feel it has stood the test of time and I'm sure young readers today would still enjoy it. Unfortunately it is out of print.