The writing style of many authors is easily recognized in their works. In fact, many writers follow a set plot pattern which makes their writing very predictable. For example, the Da Vinci Code series of novels has basically the same plot, just different characters and settings. This is not the case in Audrey Niffeneger's second novel, Her Fearful Symmetry. Although the theme of love is present in both texts, the only other similarity is in the supernatural or science-fiction elements. In The Time Traveller's Wife the concept of moving back and forth through time is explored; in this novel, life after death, ghosts and souls returning to bodies are the focus.
As the novel wound to a conclusion, a number of mysterious and unpredictable plot twists left me feeling disturbed and confused. At the very end of the story, Robert, who should have enjoyed his happy ending with Elspeth, left her without warning. There was no indication where he was going, why he was going, if he would return or even if he might kill himself because of his guilt. His relationship to the twins was also unclear. At one point, it appeared that he might be their father but his actions were anything but paternal. Martin finally left his apartment for Amsterdam to find his wife but we are left wondering if their reunion will be permanent or whether his illness will prevent them for staying together. Julia seems to like Martin's son, Theo, but how will their relationship develop? The twins' parents have apparently resolved their issues but can they live happily after everything that has happened and the secrets that have been kept? And poor Victoria is left in Highgate cemetery destined for life as a ghost rather than the life she should have had with her twin.
In the end, the character that disturbed me the most was the twins' aunt, Elspeth. Although she seems to be loving and caring at the beginning of the book, bequeathing the girls her fortune and her home, her true motives are eventually revealed as the girls live in her apartment with her ghost. The gruesome outcome of her relationship with the twins appears to be something that she plotted with Robert, which makes both characters appear selfish and evil. I was prepared to like both Robert and Elspeth and, indeed, rooted for them to find happiness only to have the rug pulled out from under me as their sinister plot was revealed.
Although I enjoyed reading this book, I wish I could say it was a satisfying experience or that I felt a resolution of the plot. In the end I was left with too many unresolved questions to elicit that "happy ending" feeling.
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