Common Sense Media Review
Thick free-verse bestseller takes graphic look at incest.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 15 parent reviews
Based on 21 kid reviews
Kids say that this book is engaging but heavily laden with mature themes, including graphic depictions of sex, self-harm, and drugs, rendering it unsuitable for younger readers unless they are particularly mature. While many appreciate the intense storytelling and the realistic portrayal of difficult issues, there is a strong caution regarding its appropriateness for those under 14, with some readers expressing regret for having read it too early.
- mature content
- strong themes
- caution advised
- engaging storytelling
- educational value
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
Identical twins Kaeleigh and Raeanne wear designer clothes and live in a nice house with their politician mother and district-court judge father. Despite the cheerful appearances for press conferences, though, the family is imploding under the strain of years-old lies. A car accident caused a rift between their parents. Now their mother is always gone and their father turns his drunken attentions to Kaeleigh. Raeanne, bereft of both her parents, keeps pushing the edge, whether it's sex, drugs, or alcohol. How far will both twins go to escape their dark secrets?
Is It Any Good?
With IDENTICAL, Hopkins sticks with her successful formula, writing a thick book of free verse poetry about abused, self-destructive teens. As readers tick off behaviors (bulimia --check, cutting -- check), more cynical readers might wonder why she didn't make the girls triplets so she could toss in a few more. The biggest complaint is the lack of editing -- there's simply no reason this needs to be 565 pages long. Even easy-to-read poems can't make up for redundant lessons and tedious action.
Both parents are caricatures, and the twins are preternaturally self-aware as they engage in overblown prose like "Why can't he and I find/a way to accept each other, lose ourselves in all-/encompassing love, the kind that can save you?/ The kind that can glue/ all the fragments of two/ broken hearts together." The novel's twist, while shocking, veers into soap opera territory.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about books that feature tough topics, such as suicide, drug addiction, and abuse. Are there any topics that are inappropriate for teen readers? If so, who should decide what they are?
How would this story have been different if it had been written as a straight-forward narrative rather than as a free verse novel? Does the poetry add power?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Contemporary Fiction
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Margaret K. McElderry
- Publication date : August 26, 2008
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 14 - 14
- Number of pages : 576
- Last updated : May 23, 2022
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