Grace and Tippi are conjoined twins. This year, with their parents unable to afford home schooling any longer, they are going to high school. Prepared for cruelty and stares, they are not prepared for friendship. Or an impossible decision that will change everything.
One is a gorgeous, compassionate story about two sisters, simply told but so powerful. Even the most cold-hearted will be moved by Grace and Tippi, who have no choice to spend their every moment together. Yet they don’t despise each other, instead they are the best of friends. Yes, sometimes life is hard, but they really don’t want to live without the other.
Of course, it’s not just about what they want. Their parents are struggling financially due to medical bills (yes, a story to make you feel grateful for the NHS) and Grace hasn’t been feeling all the great lately. She does her best to hide it, but she can’t hide anything from Tippi. And when she meets a boy she likes, they both have to face the fact that kind of love isn’t something they can have. What kind of boy would want them?
It touches a little on the kind of attention conjoined twins get, not just at school but the media interest. How much is their privacy really worth? I can understand the interest in them though, we spend so much time by ourselves, and we always have the option to hide ourselves away. So what is it like when that basic human right isn’t available; they never have privacy from each other. Although their therapist had an ingenious idea to make one of them listen to music whilst the other talked. That’s the closest to alone they get.
Told in free verse, this isn’t your average young adult novel. But please don’t be put off, it is so easy to read and is so emotional. It reads more like Grace’s stream of consciousness than a poem.
One will be published by Bloomsbury on 27th August 2015 in hardback and ebook editions. Thanks go to the publisher for providing a copy for review.
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Disclosure: I received a copy of this book free of charge for review purposes only. Receipt of a book does not guarantee a review or endorsement. My reviews are my honest opinion and are not biased for the purpose of personal gain.
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I read (half) a book about conjoined twins a while back but it was very dry and unemotional. This one is so much more personal feeling. I hope you read it!
Fabulous review Ellie, sorry it has been a while. Think this is another for the wishlist pile.
Lainy http://www.alwaysreading.net
This sounds really interesting. I'll look for it.