About the Author

Marcy Dermansky is a MacDowell Fellow and the winner of the 2002 Smallmouth Press Andre Dubus Novella Award and the 1999 Story magazine's Carson McCullers short story prize. Her stories have been published in numerous literary journals, including McSweeney's, Alaska Quarterly Review, and Indiana Review. Dermansky is a film critic for About.com and lives in Astoria, New York.

Reviews

"A startlingly beautiful love story... A thrill to read... The most detailed, disturbing, and loveable oddball romance you'll ever read." -- Frederick Barthelme, author of Elroy Nights"A beguiling story of the powerful ties between identical twins... Dermansky has crafted a memorable novel." -- Booklist"Sometimes despairing, sometimes blackly humorous, always engrossing and thoroughly original. A wonderful debut." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)"With dark humor and raw power...Dermansky has created a fascinating set of characters." -- Library Journal"Entertaining...Balanced by an overarching fable-like quality to this moving and well-written story." -- Publishers Weekly"Twins is spectacular, weird, extraordinarily real, and funny in ways they don't have names for." -- Jerry Stahl, author of Permanent Midnight"Dermansky is a lyrical, gifted, and original writer....With a style that's extremely accessible and lots of fun." -- Janice Eidus, author of The Celibacy Club"Raw, extraordinary...A dark, heartbreaking tale about adolescents trying to survive." -- Huntsville Times"Dermansky excels at depicting extreme emotional states and how we rationalize them." -- Village Voice

We've all heard stories about twins who are polar opposites. In her debut novel, Dermansky injects this seemingly tired premise with dark humor and raw power. At the novel's outset, the twins have just turned 13: Chloe wants to have friends, do well in school, and be a normal teenager; Sue wants to possess Chloe fully and uses increasingly destructive means to keep her twin at her side. Through their teens, the girls eventually find their own paths, in very surprising ways. Owing to the narrative's alternating chapters narrated by each twin, the reader's allegiance shifts with the girls' perspectives. Dermansky has created a fascinating set of characters, including the twins' usually absent and astonishingly selfish parents. Her portrayal of the difficulty of growing up and of raising children in today's world rings true. Recommended for all public libraries.-Christine DeZelar-Tiedman, Univ. of Minnesota Libs., Minneapolis Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

"A startlingly beautiful love story... A thrill to read... The most detailed, disturbing, and loveable oddball romance you'll ever read." -- Frederick Barthelme, author of Elroy Nights"A beguiling story of the powerful ties between identical twins... Dermansky has crafted a memorable novel." -- Booklist"Sometimes despairing, sometimes blackly humorous, always engrossing and thoroughly original. A wonderful debut." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)"With dark humor and raw power...Dermansky has created a fascinating set of characters." -- Library Journal"Entertaining...Balanced by an overarching fable-like quality to this moving and well-written story." -- Publishers Weekly"Twins is spectacular, weird, extraordinarily real, and funny in ways they don't have names for." -- Jerry Stahl, author of Permanent Midnight"Dermansky is a lyrical, gifted, and original writer....With a style that's extremely accessible and lots of fun." -- Janice Eidus, author of The Celibacy Club"Raw, extraordinary...A dark, heartbreaking tale about adolescents trying to survive." -- Huntsville Times"Dermansky excels at depicting extreme emotional states and how we rationalize them." -- Village Voice