Identical by Ellen Hopkins

Pages: 565

Publisher: McElderly Books

Age Group: Young Adult (Mature Readers)

Release Date: April 26, 2008

Challenges: 350 Page Challenge

Do twins begin in the womb?

Or in a better place?

Kaeleigh and Raeanne are identical down to the dimple. As daughters of the district-court judge father and a politician mother, they are an All-American family --- on the surface. Behind the facade each sister has her own dark secret, and that's where their difference begin.

For Kaeleigh, she's the misplaced focus of Daddy's love, intended for a mother whose presence on the campaign trail means absence at home. All that Raeanne sees is Daddy playing a game of favorites --- and she is losing. If she has to lose, she will do it on her own terms, so she chooses drugs, alcohol, and sex.

Secrets like the ones the twins are harboring are not meant to be kept --- from each other or anyone else. Pretty soon it's obvious that neither sister can handle it alone, and one sister must step up to save the other, but the question is --- who?

Stars: 4.5/5

Cover: B+

Plot:

Kaeleigh and Raeanne are identical twins, and their home-life is far from perfect. Their mom is practically never home, and their dad is abusing Kaeleigh. Raeanne feels like her dad doesn't love her, so she turns to drugs and boys. 

Things get progressively worse, long-lost grandparents start calling, and family secrets start revealing themselves. 

On the surface, their family is picture-perfect. But as you dig deeper into their lives and the things they hide, you realize nothing is as it seems.

Wow. This book left me speechless. I loved that it was told between alternating views of Kaeleigh and Raeanne. 

The entire story was really disturbing and left me feeling kind of miserable, to tell you the truth. Identical got so intense at times, I couldn't read it in one sitting. 

Characters:

The characters all had their own problems, and they were all just as bad as the next. Not to mention, they each had a way of dealing with their problems, but their ways of coping with their problems only made their situations worse. It was a vicious cycle.

It surprised me, because on the surface, the characters come off as having a really good life.

I couldn't really tell you who my favorite twin was. I liked them both for different reasons, and disliked them for different reasons, also.

I felt so much frustration towards their parents, though. They were infuriating. I wanted to shake them, and tell them to open their eyes and really see what they were doing to their kids.

Writing:

As always, Ellen Hopkins writes a captivating, dramatic book with a strong message. I love the way Ellen writes, and she is awesome at writing a story you just can't stop thinking about.

Ending:

The ending was my favorite out of all of the Ellen Hopkins books that I've read. It was shocking, confusing (but not in a bad way), and extremely thought-provoking. I found myself running the book back through my mind and connecting the dots so that everything made sense.

Lovely Line:

I lay awake

Most of the night, pondering

mysteries. Where did my father

come from? Who made him,

and who made him the way he is?

Who is my grandmother? Where

has she been all these years, and what

does she know that Daddy wouldn't

want us to know? What happened

between her and Grandpa Gardella?

What happened between Daddy

and him? Does Mom know

the answers to those questions?

If she does, why hasn't she ever

talked about them? If she doesn't,

why doesn't she? Why don't I?

Why are there so many mysteries

shrouding our lives? Will I ever

know the answers? If so, when?

If not, why?

(Page 368)

The Final Verdict:

This one is definitely more of Ellen's dark and depressing books. 

It left a big impact on me, and this is a book that will be haunting me for a long, long time.

FTC: I borrowed this book from my brother.