Booktalk for Identical by Ellen Hopkins

Have you ever wondered what it was like to be a twin? To be half of a whole? Now fraternal twins are two eggs at the same time, but to be identical twins is to be one egg that split into two little beings at the same time. How does that shape your lives, who you are, what you want to do. In Identical you will meet Raeanne and Kayleigh, identical twins who are struggling with a very dysfunctional family. Mom is a high powered soon to be elected Congresswoman. She is never home and when she is, you don't really connect with her unless you are sharing a bottle of wine. Then there is Daddy, the Judge, who pays "Special" attention to Kayleigh (not in a good way), spends too much time drinking Turkey whiskey and popping pills. Then you see how each of the girls deals with this lack of parenting and what it all stems from. The story told in verse with each of the twins speaking seperately, but the story flowing from one girl to the next. What kind of ending can this dysfunctional family find when one girl binges, purges, cuts herself to let out the pain and the other uses drugs and sex to deal with their issues. I was totally suprised at the ending of this book and you will be too, but first you have to dive in and read it.