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Identical

Ellen Hopkins

Start date: June 1, 2020

Finish date: June 28, 2020

Discussion: Author's Pick

Why we're reading this: Identical
by Ellen Hopkins
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by Ellen Hopkins

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Author's Pick

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What Members Thought

Feb 04, 2016 Mom2triplets04 rated it liked it

Shelves: written-in-verse

Listened to this on audio and followed along with the physical book that is written in verse. This book is for mature audiences. It's about identical twin girls who are completely different in personality. I figured out the ending about the middle of the book.

WARNING: There are lots of trigger warnings in this book: suicide, drugs, alcohol, sexual abuse, incest, cutting, bulimia and more. ...more

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Oct 07, 2011 Sassy Sarah Reads rated it it was amazing

Shelves: contemporary, favorites, mind-blown-from-the-awesomeness, books-i-own, young-adult, re-review, mental-illness, standalones, books-that-changed-my-life, just-say-no-to-drugs

Identical is an amazing book. Identical is about two twins Kaeleigh and Raeanne. Kaeleigh deals with the sexual abuse of her dad and Raeanne craves sexual attention from any guy. Both girls face traumatic issues, Kaeleigh binges and purges and cuts herself and Raeanne is addicted to drugs and sex. The book is very mature and isn't meant for teenagers who don't like strong subjects. ...more

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Oct 25, 2012 ✨the one with all the books✨ rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, ya, 2012

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I finished this book today and something has been bothering me about the story. Kayleigh is diagnosed with DID (aka MPD) and Raeann (her dead twin) is her other personality. Usually DID occurs when someone endures some sort of trauma... the original person can't handle whatever is happening to them, so in order for them to cope, they create this alternate personality to deal with the problem. In this case, Kayleigh was being sexually abused by her father. However, Raeann didn't pop into the pict I finished this book today and something has been bothering me about the story. Kayleigh is diagnosed with DID (aka MPD) and Raeann (her dead twin) is her other personality. Usually DID occurs when someone endures some sort of trauma... the original person can't handle whatever is happening to them, so in order for them to cope, they create this alternate personality to deal with the problem. In this case, Kayleigh was being sexually abused by her father. However, Raeann didn't pop into the picture to help her endure the abuse. Raeann didn't suffer the abuse for Kayleigh. No, Raeann was a bystander and watched it from a distance. She noted what was happening to Kayleigh, "witnessed it" but never stepped in Kayleigh's place to endure it for her. In fact, thinking back on the story, I can't think of any instance where Raeann stepped in for Kayleigh ever, to protect her. In fact, Raeann seemed to just be a destructive personality that witnessed what happened to Kayleigh and relays it to the reader, and gets into further trouble with drugs, alcohol, boys (sex & bondage), and is the purging half of Kayleigh's bingeing, except, not even 100% the binger, because I can recall one scene where Kayleigh binges, purges and then makes a huge mess in the bathroom and Raeann is basically viewing the mess and commenting on how Kayleigh needed to clean up after herself.

It seems to me that to be a true DID situation, Raeann would appear when Kayleigh is being abused, to take the abuse... and then disappear again. Raeann is supposed to be seen as the stronger personality, the gritty one, the one that can handle things better, the one who sleeps around and is building a reputation. Yet, in a way, Kayleigh is actually the stronger one, the one who actually lives through the abuse, suffers through it, endures it, while her personality watched. In the end when Raeann is proclaiming how she will be there to pick up the pieces and deal with whatever Kayleigh can't deal with etc. I was like, what exactly DID Raeann deal with? Nothing, as far as I can tell. She had her own demons, yes, but she really did nothing. She was a voice to tell the story, but as far as DID goes, it doesn't work for her particular role, in my opinion. ...more

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