Book Review of "The Girls"

By Lori Lansens

Never would one imagine that reading a story about conjoined twins would teach life lessons about contentment and happiness with one's own life, but The Girls, a work of fiction by Lori Lansens, does exactly that.

The Girls is the autobiography of the world's longest surviving craniopagus twins, Rose and Ruby Darlen.  While Rose is the self-proclaimed writer, Ruby argues that this is her life story as well and contributes chapters to the memoir.  Despite their co-existence, their accounts and memories of their experiences are varied. While fundamentally attached, the story serves to identify each girl as an individual.  You get the sense that they've each lived different lives and separate experiences even though they've been connected since birth.

Abandoned at birth and adopted by an elderly couple, Aunt Lovey and Uncle Stash, "The Girls", as they are affectionately known in their southwestern Ontario town, are a marvel and a wonder.  Their attitudes remain optimistic and they demonstrate maturity beyond their years despite their dire circumstances.  They've had to struggle for independence even if it comes in the form of their interdependency on one another.  The girls learn the art of compromise as they negotiate within their relationship.  Two strong personality types, at times Rose leads and Ruby follows. Other times, Ruby is the dominant personality, despite her dependency on Rose's legs (Ruby straddles herself on Rose's hips and is carried that way).  This is a relationship of give and take.

As the story follows the girls from birth to their 30^th birthday, it goes through the intricacies of daily life as one evolves from a child to an adult.  Together, yet separately, they experience life's integral moments: the first crush, the first job, and even the first sexual experience.  

Rose and Ruby are both endearing characters, each teaching different lessons through the stories they relate.  They demonstrate humanity in its simplest form: our interdependency on those we love most and our yearning to feel connected to family, to community, to our past and even to our own futures. These are feelings we can all relate to.

The Girls also illustrates the cyclical nature of our own lives; what goes around comes around. Where we begin is often where we end. 

Aunt Lovey, the girls' mother figure, believes that all ordinary people lead extraordinary lives, but they just don't realize themselves that they are anything more than ordinary.  This is the core truth of the book which resonates with readers.  While simplistic, it is true: we are all extraordinary to those we love and who love us the most.  Ruby herself said: ". Rose has been my sister.  I think that's heroic."  Is there anything greater, to be thought the world of by those we love and live for?  The Girls teaches us to find contentment in our own lives.  After all, we are the world to someone.

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