Twin sisters are bound to one another by the past. Elspeth is dying of cancer and so has bequeathed her London flat to her two nieces, who live with Elspeths sister, Edie, in the United States. Elspeth has a young lover who lives in the flat beneath hers. He works at the cemetery adjacent the house. Robert gives tours and is an academic who fails to make headway with his thesis. He is emotionally paralyzed by Elspeth's death. However, emotional paralysis is a theme shared by other characters in the novel.
Edie allows her daughters, who are also twins, to travel to London and reside in the flat, as the condition of ownership is that the girls occupy the flat for one year. The novel explores the relationship which the girls have with one another, and with their neighbours. Martin lives on the third floor and has such extreme OCD that he never leaves the flat. His wife has recently left him due to the many barriers he has constructed around his world.
Julia and Valentina, the twins, begin to respond to peculiar happenings in their aunt's flat. Elspeth's ghost is haunting the space and communicating with them through her ability to move objects. They inform Robert, who responds with compete belief. As the suspense mounts and the story unfold, the characters take on more definition. We learn more about Edie and why she left England, vowing never to return. Julia who is timid like a mouse and Valentina who seems so selfish, like her aunt, begin to test themselves as independent women.
No all characters are likable, but the surprise ending explains much, as peculiar as it is. This book held my interest, especially the ghost story and Martin's life upstairs. An exciting read! You may want to read, The Time Traveller's Wife, also by Audrey Niffenegger.
