The Foursome

by Christina Baker Kline

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Christina Baker Kline comes a boldly original reimagining of an astonishing true two sisters in nineteenth-century North Carolina—Kline’s own distant relatives—who married world-famous conjoined twins from Siam.

When Chang and Eng Bunker arrive in Wilkes County in 1839, they’re not just a curiosity—they’re a sensation. Everyone is eager to learn whether the salacious rumors about them are true. Within months, the twins have opened a general store, bought land, and begun building a plantation. Now, word has it, they’re looking for wives—and in a place that thrives on gossip and legacy, their ambitions set the community on edge.

Sarah and Adelaide Yates, daughters of a once-prominent local family brought low by scandal, are drawn into their orbit. Bold, beautiful Addie sees in the twins’ fame a chance to reclaim her future. Sallie, quiet and observant, isn’t so sure. When the twins’ lives become entangled with theirs, they must navigate loyalty, longing, and identity in a world where everything—including race, class, and gender—is rigidly defined.

Spanning five decades and unfolding against the backdrop of a fractured nation hurtling toward war, The Foursome is both intimate and a story of love and constraint, identity and reinvention. With piercing insight and emotional precision, Kline brings to life a forgotten chapter of American history and the complex, boundary-defying marriages at its center.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Adult Fiction

384 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication May 12, 2026

About the author

A #1 New York Times bestselling author of eight novels, including The Exiles, Orphan Train, and A Piece of the World, Christina Baker Kline is published in 40 countries. Her novels have received the New England Prize for Fiction, the Maine Literary Award, and a Barnes & Noble Discover Award, among other prizes, and have been chosen by hundreds of communities, universities and schools as “One Book, One Read” selections. Her essays, articles, and reviews have appeared in publications such as the New York Times and the NYT Book Review, the Boston Globe, the San Francisco Chronicle, LitHub, Psychology Today, Poets & Writers, and Salon.

Born in England and raised in the American South and Maine, Kline is a graduate of Yale (B.A.), Cambridge (M.A.) and the University of Virginia (M.F.A.), where she was a Hoyns Fellow in Fiction Writing. A resident of New York City and Southwest Harbor, Maine, she serves on the advisory boards of the Center for Fiction (NY), the Jesup Library (Bar Harbor, ME), the Montclair Literary Festival (NJ), the Kauai Writers Festival (HI), and Roots & Wings (NJ), and on the gala committees of Poets & Writers (NY), The Authors Guild (NY) and Friends of Acadia (ME). She is an Artist-Mentor for StudioDuke at Duke University and the BookEnds program at Stony Brook University.

Reviews

[Sadeqa Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Foursome by Christina Baker Kline opened my eyes to a moment in history I knew little about. Centered around conjoined twins married to two sisters, the novel explores the complexities of marriage, sisterhood, and raising children in the American South in 1839—a time and place where conformity was the norm and change was just beginning to stir. Kline weaves a beautiful tapestry of love, doubt, identity, and resilience in a world that left little room for differences.

[Kristine · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Book begins about real-life Siamese Twins, Eng and Chung Baker. They have become a Sensation and People are So Interested in Meeting Them. This has afforded them a life of wealth and privilege. So, when they settle in Wilkes, North Carolina, they meet and want to marry Sarah and Adelaide Yates. So, on the surface this seems just an entertaining and different story, and it is, but there is so much depth beyond the surface of this book.

There is so much nuance and intimacy that Christina Baker Kline brings to this story. It examines an unusual family living life on a Plantation. The Book begins in 1839 and spans five decades. There is the beauty and struggle of family and children woven through the entire story that just was fascinating to read. Yet, always in the background is Sarah’s growing discomfort with slavery. Christina Baker Kline does such a delicate job presenting the characters reactions based on how life would have been at the time, but quietly presents the agony of this way of life.

I really loved this book. It is Excellent. Presenting such a unique story worked so well to explore so many other themes. Christina Baker Kline does a superb job that entertains, brings curiosity, love, heartache, and thinking of the choices that are made. She is in a class by herself. Highly Recommend this Book.

[Crystie Rios · Rating 3 out of 5]

***Thank you NetGalley, the publisher & the author for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. I went into it completely blind.

I did not realize that this book was based on a true story until the very end with the author’s note. My review immediately went up a half star because of that and the amount of research and work that went into this historical fiction novel.

I thought I was getting myself into a very freaky book because of the title, so when the story ended up based in the 1800’s I felt a bit disappointed. That’s on me! The characters were described really well, and the homes/farms/roads I could almost see from how good the writing was. I really enjoyed the writing style honestly.

Unfortunately I did feel bored throughout most of the story. I did not like ANY of the characters at all, and whenever I felt myself bonding with the FMC I knew it would only be short-lived. The twins were terrible people, and I felt tricked at the end with Grace after feeling bad for Eng throughout most of the book. I knew it was coming, but I felt that like a slap in my own face. I kinda wish the author left that unknown instead of leading us to believe Eng was the sole culprit 🤬.

Chang as a character was deplorable. I could not stand him at all for a second. I felt like the book was way too long because I felt dragged through a concrete parking lot every time he said or did anything at all. He was so incredibly selfish and miserable. The author described him really well if that’s the way she wanted to portray him, of course. It just ruined the book for me. I hated the way he got everything he wanted.

The storyline overall was very interesting, and I really enjoyed learning more about their way of life as well as the way of life at that time period. I don’t read many books that discuss slavery, and getting a glimpse into their lives during slavery with a wife who resists it was fascinating. I would potentially read another book by this author in the future. I don’t think I will recommend this book to friends due to my strong dislike of the characters.

Originally I wanted to give this book two stars, but I really enjoyed the history lesson written amongst the pages at the same time. I upped my rating to three solid stars for this book, and I want to say that I did really enjoy the ending.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel Cristina Baker Kline is from the true story of Eng and Chang Bunker, the famous Siamese Twins made famous (or infamous), by P.T. Barnum. They lived most of their adult lives in North Carolina with the local sisters they married. Sarah and Adelaide encountered personal adversities because of the morbid curiosity of the people in their community, and also because they had to navigate the lack of privacy in their marriages.
Kline also draws parallels with the Frankenstein character- he was misunderstood and feared, as are Eng and Chang.
And even though the brothers were viewed as 'colored' by their Southern neighbors, Chang and Eng owned and used black slaves on their plantations.
A fascinating story!

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley and Mariner books for this early copy
Of The Foursome. I had seen historical photos of Chang and Eng but never knew they married sisters from North Carolina. I really enjoyed this fictional history of the lives of Sallly, Addie and their marriages with the conjoined twins. The novel brought up the trials this life would have brought that I would never have thought of. Especially in the time and place the novel unfolds. The story never got slow or dull to me. It just seemed to speed through the ending just a tad too quickly. Overall a great read!

[Tam📖 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Mariner Books for the ARC!

Fascinating portrayal of two sisters who marry Siamese twins!!! So interesting to see how they split up the physical, emotional and mental load of marriage! And how they tended to their two households with many children in between them! This story is based on the author’s distant cousins marriage to Siamese twins! 3.5

[Heather Gothie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very interesting story based on real people. It kept my attention for the most part, but I must say it was a little depressing. Thankfully it was an easy read and the time period always captivates me. I loved the Exiles from this author so I was a little disappointed with this new book. I would recommend though especially if you’re a fan of her writing!