It sounds like a tabloid story: "Young schizophrenic woman gives birth to identical twins, gives them up for adoption. Two families are blessed with beautiful baby girls, unaware that they are twins, and are unwittingly enrolled in a secret child-development study. As a thirty-something adult, one of the girls is shocked to discover that she has a twin. They finally meet, search for their birth mother, and uncover the secret study that separated them."
Sounds amazing, but it's true. This story really happened, here in the United States, in the late 1960's, and Paula and Elyse were not the only ones. Along with telling their story, the authors include reunion experiences of a few other separated multiples. Warmth develops as two individuals learn to love as sisters in perfectly matched skins.
This book was, for me, a compelling read. It was fascinating to observe the joys and irritations of watching your mirror image, the months-long process of emotional adjustment, the wonder of finding out there is another person who is your exact DNA match. Of course, I couldn't help but check out the photo section first, and I was intrigued to see that the girls as youngsters looked more than a little like me. Button nose, curly reddish-brown hair, narrow lips. But the real kicker was finding out when they were born. Except for a few years, we could have been triplets!
***UPDATE*** The book will be released in paperback October 14, just a few days after our birthday! And these ladies are the most communicative authors I've met. Prompt replies to two emails -- very kind, very appreciative. Nice gals, intriguing story.
YouTube book trailer:
The book's website: http://www.identicalstrangersbook.com/index.html
2 comments:
Sounds like one of those heart-rending, heart-warming stories I like!
It is a great story, but not formulaic or simplistic. Real life. Let me know if you get a chance to read it, Linda.
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