Gemini Hardcover – July 26, 2016

As soon as I learned about this book, I wanted to read it. It wasn’t available at the time, so I’d have to wait. And wait. And wait. I avoided reading reviews, but I saw the high average star rating it had—people who had the privilege of reading an advance copy loved it. But I still waited, and when you wait for something like this, especially when advance reviews say it’s great, you develop high expectations.No high expectations in the world could have prepared me for how phenomenal this book is.Gemini tells the story of conjoined twins Clara and Hailey. Their parents chose not to separate them after birth because of the risks, particularly because they’re connected at the bottom ends of their spinal cords, and their intestines are intertwined. Otherwise, they have two sets of arms and legs, and two distinct personalities, fashion sense, interests, and career goals.They live in a small California town, and when they were younger, their mother visited school regularly and arranged playdates to make the community aware of their presence to prevent stares and such. By the time they’re in high school, they have attained a level of understanding amongst their peers and have solid friendships. I really enjoyed the camaraderie and support between Hailey and Clara and their friends Juanita and Bridget. There’s also the equivalent of a “mean girl” character, but the book doesn’t devolve into cattiness, a later confrontation with this girl includes unexpected and believable depth and an opportunity for narrative reflection.The story takes place during the first part of their senior year, and it’s a time in a young adult’s life that’s rife with story potential. Themes of fitting in, first crushes and kisses, applying to college, and finding oneself make their way into the pages. Add in a new (and cute) boy in school and a Sadie Hawkins Dance—a perfect narrative choice, as it allows Clara and Hailey to optimistically ponder asking boys to the dance and also pessimistically wonder if boys would want to go with them because of their unique situation.All these elements make this book sound like almost any other YA contemporary novel. And to some extent, it is—and there’s not a darn thing wrong with that. In fact, I praise author Mukherjee for making this story feel so comfortable. Just because a book is telling the story of characters who are “different” in some way, the book need not be different. Just as Hailey and Clara don’t appreciate stares and whispers, I believe they wouldn’t appreciate their YA story to focus on their conjoined-ness but instead be a story about their individual uniqueness while they happen to be conjoined. And within the pages of this YA novel, Mukherjee gives us just that.And we’re given so much more. The issues their parents faced upon their birth—whether or not to separate Clara and Hailey in a risky surgery that could result in paralysis and/or death—are also dealt with. As a parent of (fraternal) twin daughters, it wasn’t a stretch to imagine myself in their situation and wonder what I would have done. I don’t have an answer other than doing everything I could to raise and protect my children, and that’s what their mother does. But I’d also want my girls to grow into wonderful, compassionate, independent thinkers like Hailey and Clara.It was easy to empathize with these characters, and I often found myself cheering and crying for them. At the end of several chapters, I had to put the book down and process my own emotions. But I always picked it back up because I was so deeply engaged by their narration.One of many strengths of the book is the narration. The chapters alternate between Clara and Hailey’s first-person point of view. It’s no surprise that the story is told this way, and the decision to do so isn’t particularly groundbreaking, but the execution is exceptional. Mukherjee switched the perspective at all the right times, making the story seamless, but she also uses the device in interesting ways, such as (1) to establish tension when one twin sees something and the other (the one narrating) doesn’t know it yet, and (2) to explore deep themes when something really awesome happens to one twin, yet the scene is narrated by the other twin!I won’t apologize for being vague because I don’t want to reveal any spoilers, but that second example underscores two innate human desires: to be independent and not be alone. All of us, no matter what uniqueness we’re born with, deserve as much and deserve happiness, but it comes only with self-acceptance. By the end, Hailey and Clara make a powerful statement about that, and it was an absolute pleasure to experience the ride with them.This is a MUST-READ book, it gets FIVE STARS from me, and there’s no doubt that Gemini will be near the top of my year-end favorite books list.

I really, really wanted to like this book. I stumbled upon the description on Goodreads a week or two before it was due to come out, pre-ordered it, and read it the day it arrived. When I finished it, I was just very disappointed.What originally peaked my interest about this book was the fact that the two main characters are actually conjoined twins. I had never read a book with this sort of subject matter, and I thought (from reviews and the description of the novel) it was going to be a heart-warming yet sad story about Clara and Hailey growing as individuals, dealing with love for the first time, and how being conjoined twins impacts that. And it was.. It just wasn’t done as well as it could have been. The author continuously uses Hailey having pink hair and a tattoo as a way to individualize them, but wrote their voices SO SIMILAR. This book is written in alternating perspective between Hailey and Clara, but more often then not I found myself flipping to the start of the chapter to check whose perspective I was reading from at that point. For me, that really made me like Gemini a lot less. I was rooting for Hailey and Clara to find a way to grow as individuals even though they’re conjoined, and yet any apparent growth in the characters was dulled every time I realized I still couldn’t tell their voices apart.Then there’s arguably the most annoying part of this story: the love interests. Neither of the boys have that likable factor to them, maybe because you learn little to nothing about them and have no chance to understand them. Max (Clara’s love interest) really felt like a background character that was forgotten about most of the time, and then got randomly squished into chapters for no apparent reason. Hailey’s love interest was written about, but remained very forgettable and unnecessary. The love aspect didn’t bring anything to the story; in fact, it really took a lot away from it.I gave this book 2.5 stars because while it wasn’t the best for a lot of reasons, I give Mukherjee a lot of props for writing about conjoined twins. It’s always interesting to see the YA genre expanding in a creative sense!

Sonya Mukherjee's has penned a heart-wrenching debut novel, with writing and heart that has left me speechless. GEMINI is a story of conjoined twins but Mukherjee effortlessly (seemingly) creates these two teens as wholly unique in their physical and emotion desires. Clara and Hailey are destined for different things, but they are conjoined at the base of their spinal columns. During their senior year they are already adjusting to the idea of attending a small-town college where their parents teach. The plan has been set by their parents, who will rely on the free tuition and the safety they’ve created in small-town life—one which limits stares and gossip when it comes to their daughters.But Hailey wants to travel the world, see everything. Clara wants to go to outer space. Mukherjee does not pull any punches when she examines each girl’s desires, and the limitations that hold them back. This is an important book about dreams, and the pull they have at our individual hearts. And love, the tremendous sacrifices we make for those we care for most deeply.This is a beautifully crafted novel that is wholly original and so moving. I am thrilled that it is in the world. Highly recommend.