Persian cat breeder Maxie Dublin's been waiting for the birth of her daughter for as long as she can remember - she, too, will be a red-head, her labour will mirror her mother's delivery of her, and the three women will peaceful co-exist. The plan is meticulous; unlike absent Maxie's father, the no-good banjo player, Maxie has chosen a nice, gay man who works for her.
Not every step of her mother's pregnancy plan is followed (Jerry is a vegetarian, so Maxie had to cook tofu instead of beef), but as many as possible of the steps that resulted in Maxie were followed. And, like the plan, Maxie's pregnant, even though Jerry's seed ended up on the floor rather than in her. But from the beginning of the labour it all goes wrong, and when her daughter is born Maxie realises a terrible truth - she's given birth to herself.
This was an interesting concept, but the handling's very Literary; between that and the distressingly dependant and claustrophobic relationship Maxie has with her mother, her apathy, and the complete domination of the situation by the physicians involved with the case, I found reading Twinship a chore, and decided to quit at the half way mark. Wow - not even a fortnight into the new year and this is my second unfinished novel. Less time and less tolerance for books I don't love or learn from. - Alex
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