Twins by Marcy Dermansky

    Have you ever wondered what it is like to have a twin? Someone that looks exactly like you? Have you ever wondered what it would be like if your parents “divorced” you? Left you alone to fend for yourself? Twins Chloe and Sue begin on a journey through adolescence, facing many challenges along the way, including their daily fights with each other and fitting in with everyone else around them.
    You would think that having a twin is fun- someone who is a mirror image of yourself and even shares the same DNA as you. Chloe and Sue are tall, blonde, and beautiful girls who feel tormented by each other’s mere presence. When they were little, Chloe and Sue used to enjoy being in each other’s company. They would do everything together, from wearing matching pink bikinis to the beach, to playing in the sandbox on hot summer afternoons. But as they’re getting older, more and more obstacles come between them, drifting them farther apart than they’ve ever been.
    Sue, who is 4 minutes younger than Chloe is jealous of how perfect she is with everything, whether it’s her grades or how organized she is. Sue even thinks that Chloe is the prettier twin, even though they are complete copies of each other. All Chloe wants, however, is to please Sue, who gets easily upset, and to find a friend of her own- only if Sue allows. Sue is very obsessive of Chloe, never letting her go anywhere without her or allowing her to make new friends, as she thinks that only she can be Chloe’s best friend, making Chloe feel bound to Sue by a strong force that won’t let her have a life of her own. Sue is afraid that if Chloe makes new friends, she will be left all alone, watching Chloe enjoy someone else’s company. But when Chloe does end up befriending Lisa Markman, Sue is heartbroken, thinking that her sister has turned her back on her. She is felt ignored at school, by both Chloe and Lisa, and doesn’t feel a part of the group. She feels like Chloe has shunned her out of her life, but all Chloe wanted was to be friends with other people too. Sue is surprised at how much of an influence Lisa has on her sister, making her do things like kissing random boys during a game of spin the bottle at one of Lisa’s parties, something that Chloe wouldn’t have done on her own.
They are both neglected by their wealthy parents, who are lawyers and can’t seem to find time for their daughters. They are also ignored by their brother, Daniel, who is in college and doesn’t seem to care for his sisters while their parents are swept up in the commotion of work. They only really have each other to lean on to for support. Chloe, who was always studious and cared about her appearance, starts to take an interest in basketball, with the help and motivation from Mr. Markman, Lisa’s father and a former professional basketball player. Sue is once again jealous at how easily her sister can master both academics and athletics, and she starts to develop a hatred for Chloe. She hangs out with Lisa Markman, not because she likes her, but because she has no one to hang out with. Lisa has a bad influence on Sue as well, and together they get high on pills and makeout with each other. Once, while Sue is high on pills, she asks Lisa to shave her head but instantly regrets it. She doesn't want to be seen in front of anyone, and runs off to her brother’s college to find comfort in her brother’s girlfriend, Yumiko. But Yumiko isn't comforting; she instead asks Sue to pose nude for her art project as she finds her to be a fascinating object, with her eyes bulging out of her shaved head and her bones visible under her skin. Smita, Yumiko’s friend, takes Sue in instead because she can see that Yumiko was using Sue for her selfish needs. She makes a deal with Sue; Smita can offer her a place to live and give her food to eat, if only Sue can stay as Smita’s maid. Sue is more than happy that someone took her in, even if it means cleaning Smita’s house and serving her whenever she orders. Smita helps Sue overcome her eating disorder and Sue’s hair starts to grow back too in the time that she’s staying with Smita.
Their parents first divorce each other because their mom finds out that their dad was cheating on her with one of their clients. Chloe and Sue are left devastated because their parents always wore matching suits to work and always were together. Their dad moves to Manhattan which is closer to their work and their mom still has to make the long commute from New Jersey. After a while they decide that she should also shift in with him so the commute to and from work would be easier. In the process, they divorce their children and leave them with some money to care for themselves. Since Sue now lives with Smita, Chloe is all alone and invites James Patterson, the boy that always showed up to all her basketball games, over to live with her. He invites his friend Jamal and his girlfriend, which Chloe doesn't like. Pretty soon the whole house turns into a disaster and she asks James’ mother to kick all of them out. She also learns that James gave her an urinary tract infection which has to be treated with antibiotics.
Chloe feels all alone now, with no one in the house. She hasn’t heard from Sue in a while, and she also quit the basketball team due to James and her infection. She calls Sue to speak to her because she hasn’t heard her voice in so long. Sue learns that Chloe quit the basketball team and urges her to join again because she knew that Chloe loved playing basketball and she was good at it too. Chloe rejoins the basketball team, just in time for the state championships, and is surprised to see her sister cheering her on in the stands, instead of giving her a mean look like she used to during her practices. Chloe is glad to see that Sue doesn’t hate her anymore and has stopped obsessing over her, ending their journey full of up and downs through their teenage years.
All in all, I would like to say that author Marcy Dermansky did a good job in writing this novel, as it kept me engaged the whole time. I wouldn’t recommend this book to people who feel uncomfortable reading about some of the topics, as they can be sensitive to some people. I would, though, recommend this to anyone who likes reading about the journey of characters through their teen years and how they’ve matured over the course of that.