Aren't We An Odd Couple?

First Paragraph:  "Toasted bacon sandwich, orange juice and a strong cup of coffee. That's what I call a good breakfast. I love the smell of friend bacon lingering in the kitchen, and the aroma of my coffee, still hot in my cup. I'm holding the latest Vogue magazine, but out of the corner of my eye I notice the weekly post piled up on the side of our table. It's got my name on it: Lucy, Ms L.J. Evans, Lucy Evans. However you address it, it's still mine. Nothing exciting as usual, mostly bills."








 Amazon / Amazon.co.uk

"Incompatible Twins" by Martina Munzittu is a tale of two sisters. I'm excited about this review because I was a part of the creative process. Nothing major, but back last year when the author approached me to be a beta reader for her new story, I was over the moon! I may not have really done anything, but my name is officially in print! I meant to review this months ago, but as you all know I took a bit of a sabbatical. Better late than never, right? (I'm a terrible person). Anyway, into the review.

PLOT

Lucy and Poppy Evans may be twins, but they couldn't be more different. Lucy is a successful real-estate agent, and a 'material girl', while Poppy is an artistic hippie who's just come home after travelling the world for 18 months. Now this odd couple are forced to share Lucy's flat and tensions run high. The cover tells you pretty much everything you need to know about the characters and story.

REVIEW

Both sisters believe they are looking after the other, and we all know what they say about a road paved with good intentions. I don't have much to say about the characters, but I do want to linger on Poppy for a second. It may be because she's been travelling for so long, or because she's never really been part of the 'daily grind', but she is incredibly disconnected from reality. Her actions and thoughts are almost apathetic and unrealistically naive. For instance, she tries to hand-write her CV because she thinks it shows she cares. She acts a lot longer than her 24/25 years, and doesn't understand why her actions upset people sometimes, causing her to victimise herself. For instance, (without any spoilers) she upsets the balance within Lucy's flat and believes herself to be, without a doubt, in the right. One particular scene I found particularly annoying was in the introduction of a new character. He introduces himself as _____ (no spoilers), and Poppy keeps shortening it. This might not seem like an irritating thing, but when he repeatedly corrects her, it starts to chafe. There is, in fact, a scene where she wonders why he keeps correcting her, believing that what she calls him doesn't matter. A name is an incredibly personal thing. It is a form of identification and not to accept someone's choice is disrespectful and rude. The fact that he keeps correcting her shows that he's not happy with how she is identifying him. 

Poppy comes off as rather arrogant and annoying, but she is the only character I have any issues with. This is not a criticism of the writing, but of the character- unless she wasn't supposed to come off in that light, in which case the writing would be at fault.

In terms of plot, there isn't really one. The two sisters live together and things happen. That's it. Slice of life, which I personally enjoy. This is a short book with a feel-good, light read factor. If you're looking for a story you don't really have to think about, this is perfect. No serious consequences; happy endings all around; and a quick read. Everything gets tied up in a nice, little bow - or so you assume as the book suggests an ending- rather than actually giving the reader anything concrete. It's one of those, if things keep on like this this could happen, or this. For all we know, nothing turns out like that.

Because this book is so light, there isn't really much character development (not strictly a factor. Length does not necessarily equal better characters). The characters stay constant and unchanged throughout the story. There's no growth or revelations. Essentially, this is a story about two sisters living their daily (slightly fantasised) lives. Nothing profound or soul-searching, but a pleasant read that could liven up your daily commute.


Disclaimer: I received an ARC copy of this book from the author. This is not a sponsored review. All opinions are 100% my own.

Oh the Complexity of Living

 First Paragraph:

"1992. The Shamen yelled "Eezer Goode, Eezer Goode". Alex listened; decided that MSc's 're good and started his postgrad in physics."

    Amazon /Amazon.co.uk

Cold Fusion 2000 by Karl Drinkwater begins with an interesting prologue.

The first chapter is made up of brief paragraphs describing the most important parts of our protagonist Alex's life, with the help of some suitable song titles worked into each sentence. We get a brief history of Alex between 1992 and 2000 (when this story takes place).

Alex is a 32 year old man living in Manchester, with a passion for sciences and poetry. He teaches physics and other sciences part-time at a local college, still lives at home and, like all of us, wonders what his life could've been like if he'd made different choices throughout it. Starting with the year he began his PhD in Physics. That year he fell head over heels with another student, only for her to break his heart, resulting in him dropping out of college and veering his life of track. 

Alex is a complicated man. Like every other person on the planet, he has his ups and downs. He can be optimistic or very pessimistic, and has a tendency to 'give up the fight' before it's even started. Still living with his mother, along with his kid sister Kelly and her friend Natalie, none of whom share his passion for science, can take its toll. That and the fact that he's quite neurotic, is a little OCD, is very introverted, slightly germaphobic, obsesses over routine, is possibly autistic and a bit of a cliche nerd and geek (yes they are two different things). Case and point- Star Trek is one of his favourite shows. 

He also gets frequent blackouts- lasting only a few seconds, but he can never remember anything about them, apart from a couple fragments at most. His neuroses all seem to stem from his painful split with his long-past girlfriend. 

When he breaks up with his current girlfriend, he considers changing. Something. Anything. But Alex is also a procrastinator and is afraid of change. Whenever he puts his mind to changing something, he always has a reason not to. 

He always wanted to get his papers published, and is constantly reading about his favourite things. The subject du jour- the RHIC (Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider) that is about to be turned on for the first time. During his research, he picks up on the same numbers time after time, and they act as a motif throughout the story. 

He thinks about the past a lot and mourns the one that got away, his first love. So when she turns up in Manchester, he can hardly believe it. 

To say anymore would be to spoil.

This is almost a coming-of-age story. A reminder that maturity is not all-encompasing, Some things take longer to grow. A look into how powerful a pull our past can have on us and how much it can affect us, but we all have the power to change that. The past does not hurt us because we try to move on, it hurts us because we do nothing. A simple change in attitude can completely alter our perceptions and the way we are perceived by others. 

A bittersweet, slightly confusing ending, that leaves a little hollowness, along with new, tentative hope. A small hint- the story is not always as black and white as first it seems. You really have to pay attention to the small clues in this book. Remember everything. One tiny, little detail can change how you perceive the entire story. The revelation that comes with understanding, only adds to the bitterness left at the end.

There's a few different interpretations of this story, that are each entirely down to the reader. You'll be wondering long after the pages (or in my case iPad) close. This is the perfect re-read. Like with the completely irrelevant murder mysteries genre, once you get to the end and have all the answers, it's fun to look back and see all the obvious clues you missed first time through. It is the ending that makes this book. A plot that seems so ordinary, and sometimes disjointed, becomes an epiphany, but only for the reader. That is what makes it so good. For the characters, the story is simplicity itself, but for those reading it, it is hours spent wondering. Thinking back, seeing clues that could point in so many different directions. An almost personalised book- each person will get something a little different from it. There can be confusing aspects, but overall, this is a simple plot about living. Moving on from your past and yourself.

In the end, the world is what we make of it. Not positive or negative. A neutral that waits for us to imprint on it. 

Disclaimer: I received this book from the author through a giveaway. This is not a sponsored review. All opinions are 100% my own.