The Silent Twins

Rating:
Summary: Couldn't put it down
Review: As the mother of identical twin daughters (and a fraternal twin myself), I had heard of the Gibbons twins before. Their story is both tragic and fascinating - truly, I could not put the book down. For the other reviews claiming the author is not as talented as the twins' writing, I would say that THEIR subjects are more flexible -- and FICTION! Considering the subject-matter I thought this book was well-written and thoughtfully put together. The author seems to care about the twins and tried to be honest about their struggles. The numerous excerpts of the twins' writings became very tiresome and I honestly skipped a lot of them.

I feel the same frustration with the twins' actions as others, including the author, and I think the girls' lives were a game they invented to fill the many dull hours in their lonesome bedroom. I think the parent's actions (or lack of) should have been explored more. The author seems to defend the parents at all costs, but the parents' inability to deal with the twins problems are the root of the tragedy and should have been addressed. Still, if you enjoy true-crime and psychological thrillers, you'll love this book.

Rating:
Summary: A Twin Tragedy
Review: I recently read this book, having started it several years ago and found that it so distrubed me that the lives these young women seemed to be so expendable, I could not finish reading their story. I recently picked up the book again and this time I finished it. I still feel that the world let June and Jennifer Gibbons down. I especially feel that their parents failed them. But placing blame is not helpful, is it?

I found Marjorie Wallace's research admirable, but not nearly as in-depth as it could have been, especially in delving into the family dynamics outside of the twins themselves. It is hard for me to believe, as a mother of four sons, two of whom are fraternal twins, that these girls were left to their own devices for so long or that they held the entire household in their grip. All with the seeming acquiecence of traditional West Indian parents and a military dad to boot!!??? Baffling! I think Wallace could have shed some needed light on their story if she had looked at this side of the family closer.

I was moved by some of the twins' journal entries, able to gain incredible intimacy into their minds, their world. I think we all are facinated by the secret lives and languages of twins, how they seem to have a bond that transends mere sibling connections. In other entries chosen by Wallace, I felt that she was guilty of one of the most freshman of journalistic flaws: inserting yourself and your opinions into your story. At times I felt she manipulated their words and pain to move her story along. I think this was a dis-service.

Both sisters, in my opinion were brilliant, creative, visual, and incredibly insightful observers of human behavior, strengths and weaknesses. But in the end, because society--starting with their own family's desire to 'fit in' with the white 'Proper British' world-- and ending ultimately with the failure of the English educational, mental health care and judicial systems to deal with these girls--sadly, it is painfully obvious that race played a role in the tragedy that was the Gibbons Twins' lives.

Wallace herself alludes to the failure and selective ignorance of authorities through the years and the overall treatment of the girls because they were 'coloured'. And these perceptive young women on numerous occasions recognized and manipulated others' prejudices in order to attempt to belong and ultimately to survive.

The book has some weaknesses, but those are easily forgotten as one lives the loneliness, desolation, isolation and despair right along with June and Jennifer Gibbons. I found myself silently screaming along with June and Jennifer that someone, anyone would save them from each other.

I truly think that these were wasted lives; lives that did not have to be lost to such pain, violence, abuse and neglect.

After I finished the book I was left with a haunting need to know what became of the two sisters. I did a Google search and I cried as I read that just hours after being released from Broadmoor, Jennifer had died. Just hours before her release and her death, joyfully accepted her fate by confiding in Wallace that "We have decided that I must die!". They had decided that one must die in order for the other to thrive. Indeed, Jennifer had pulled the short straw which meant that one of them had to choose death, in order for the other to live.
This was a distrubing book, but nevertheless a very good read!

Rating:
Summary: "Vulnerable as flowers in hell"
Review: The author means well, but I think the girls might have been better served simply by reprinting relevant entries from the voluminous diaries, with a minimum of commentary. As other reviewers have pointed out, Wallace seems quite confused by the girls and her narrative lacks important details as a result.

June and Jennifer stayed in Broadmoor hospital until 1993, when they were to be remanded to a more appropriate facility. Originally, they had had an understanding that if one of them should die, the other must begin to speak normally and tell their story to the world. By the time of their release, they had come to believe that they not only needed to be physically separate, but that in order for one to live a normal life, the other would have to die.

In an Observer (Guardian Unlimited) article following the deaths of the Bijani sisters, July 13, 2003, Wallace reports having tea with the Gibbons girls just before their release, at which time Jennifer informed her that she had decided to die, leaving the way open for June. Ten days later, they left Broadmoor, and Jennifer promptly leaned on June's shoulder and went unconscious. She died at 6:30 that evening. The autopsy showed a virulent inflammation of the heart. The doctors were unable to identify the source. To this day, Jennifer's death is a mystery, and June lives in their old hometown, near their parents. She revealed their complete story in an issue of Harper's magazine in late '93, with a followup called "We Two Made One", reprinted in the New Yorker for 12-4-2000. The song "Tsunami" by the Manic Street Preachers is based on their story.

We should love to see "Pepsi-Cola Addict", "Discomania", "Taxi-Driver's Son" and especially "The Pugilist" published in America.

Rating:
Summary: Couldn't put it down
Review: The story of the twinnies (as they are called in the book) is interesting on its own, which is the main saving grace of this tiresome work. The author doesn't hesitate to admit that the twins fascinated and confused her, and that fact shines through in her lack of style. The book jacket describes the twins' lives as being mired in arson, drugs, and sex, yet the only events that are dealt with great detail are the acts of arson. The reader is given no more detail about the twins once they reach the psychiatric hospital, where both girls believe they'll have the chance to communicate with others and maybe even begin a normal life. There's more hope in the twins' voices than there are from the author. The passages from their diaries are an alarming testament to their mental disease, but they are so lucid at times that the reader almost questions if the twins are the ones with the problems. Both girls realized they were their own worst enemies, but they were also one another's best friend. Their writings and diaries are highly accomplished, richly described pieces of writing. What a shame the author couldn't achieve the same.