Twin Studies

by Keith Maillard

An engrossing, timely, and contemporary novel about the bonds between twins, about sexuality and gender fluidity, and about the messy complexities of modern family life - the much-anticipated new novel, the first in more than a decade, from acclaimed writer Keith Maillard.   Dr. Erica Bauer - an identical twin - studies twins at the university in Vancouver. Through the course of her research, she meets a set of preteen twins who are evidently fraternal, but who insist emphatically that they are identical. Their mother, Karen Oxley, is a West Van single mum whose life is on the wrong road - and who discovers an urgent need to put it back on the right one. As Erica sets out to help the twins, their family's lives become increasingly intertwined with hers in unexpected ways.   Twin Studies is a masterful novel that explores the complicated bonds between twins and siblings, friends and lovers; the role of class and money; and the nature of gender and sexuality. It's a novel with characters who are real, their relationships a rich world in which listeners will thoroughly lose themselves. No other contemporary novel so deftly explores the intersection between our inner lives and our public lives - that “we're not what people see”.

Genres: Fiction, Canada, Literary Fiction, Contemporary

576 pages, Paperback

Published September 10, 2018

Reviews

[Jill Meyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 2000, I visited Vancouver with my son. I'd never been before and we were both walkers so we spent a lot of time on our feet - walking through the parks and city streets of that beautiful city. We stopped in a local bookshop and on the table featuring "Can Lit", I found a book - a huge trade paperback - of a novel called "Gloria". It was by an author, Keith Maillard, who I later found out was born in the US but had come to Canada to get out of the draft. He'd stayed and made a life for himself in British Columbia. Anyway, "Gloria" was one of the very best novels I've ever read and I could hardly be separated from my copy. We'd be walking and I'd be reading! When I came home, I tracked down most of his books and have been a steady reader of his West Virginia series as they've been published. Each is a superb book, from a superb writer. I mention all this to start off my review of his latest book "Twin Studies" as I think it's relevant, somehow, to my appreciation of Maillard's writing.

"Twin Studies" is not an easy book to read. Maillard throws everything but the kitchen sink at the reader. Twins - both identical and fraternal, marriages in crisis, gender identification, Japanese amine figures, sexual identity, death of one of pair of twins, Aussies from "Tassy", the 2008-9 financial crisis in the United States, are just a FEW of the subjects of the book. To say that Keith Maillard is interested in - and seems to understand - a large range of random topics and is then able to write a coherent book about them is an understatement.

One of the two main characters in the book is Karen Oxley, a wealthy, twice-divorced mother of four - two a set of fraternal twins - who lives in a fabulous glass house in "West Van". She's in her early 40's and seems to be almost drifting through life. The other main character is Dr Erica Bauer, who runs a twins-study department at a local university which studies how identical twins interact with each other and the wider world. At the time the book opens, Erica - one of a pair of "MZ" twins - has just lost her sister in a car accident in Medicine Hat, Alberta. Erica is just at the end of her mind because she can't seem to properly mourn her sister. Erica and Karen come together as the result of a suicide attempt by Erica after having met Devon and Jamie Oxley-Clark, Karen's children. The other characters in the novel are family and friends of Erica and Karen, in both Vancouver and "The Hat".

Keith Maillard has written an incredibly complicated book that somehow seems to stay together, despite the disparate parts. His characters are never caricatures; all are fully fleshed out. Even the unlikable characters have interesting "stories". After reading the book, I also should add that I took away the sweet thought that the best families are often those you assemble. Certainly the "family" Maillard has put together is one very interesting and loving group of people.

[Kelsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book so, so much. At first I was a bit skeptical of such a long book, but I quickly fell in love with the characters, by the twists and turns of the opening chapters, and wanted to spend as much time in the world of the book as possible, so I was delighted by its epic length and scope. In terms of reading experiences, for me it was very similar to Meg Wolitzer's The Interestings, which i also loved.

[litost · Rating 5 out of 5]

For me, a 4.5.
Maillard has built a huge house large enough to hold the stories of identical twins; twins who want to be identical; an identical who lost her twin; a rich but idle ex-trophy wife; depression; gender fluidity. And although it is large, the structure holds; and even offers unexpected resolutions. But, in my opinion, it is too big. The weight of all the stories slows the narrative, particularly around the mother figure who indulges in long inner monologues (Maillard speaking to us directly?). Most of the characters are female and Maillard does a very good job of writing from the feminine perspective. And of course, Maillard writes gender ambiguity like no other (I loved his Difficulty at the Beginning series), making this very much a novel for our times.

[Lisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Started off well. Interesting concept. Enjoyed following the developing relationships and then the writer went off on this weird Manga concept. It just seemed out of place and, frankly, stupid. It was torturous to finish.

[Gillian · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a 4 star book, but I can’t get over the amount of times “could of” or “would of” assaulted my eyeballs - it was like nails on a chalkboard. The story is excellent, I wish the editing was better.

[Léa Taranto · Rating 5 out of 5]

A large book that’s worth every page! The lives of two and a half sets of twins intertwine in many intricate and emotionally poignant ways. The story has 2 central 3rd POV focal points, Erica a young psychology prof who is reeling with the loss of her beloved identical twin Annalise and is professionally studying twins identical and fraternal. And Karen, the single mom of four kids whose twins Jamie and Devon, separated at a young age, have been planning drastic measures if they are to be separated again. Mental health, gender identities, grief, manga, Buddhism and motherhood are all topics explored with skill and nuance. Nothing human is strange to me, but it is strange how human words on a page can be.

[Shawnee Hayward · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was a heck of a ride. Back and forth and round and round in circles of madness discovering what happens when you figure out what you need and what happens when you choose your own family.
Four stars because some of the mental gymnastics might go over heads, but it has a beautiful frenetic energy that comes with the territory of mental health, gender identity or just simply family drama. This is a character story - if you like joining characters in a self-discovery of sheer random happenings intertwining into something wonderful, this is your book.

[Jessie-Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't added books to GR in forever but I loved this one so much I just had to come and review it.
A totally immersive, tour de force. I was sad earlier today when I realized I would finish the book soon - I didn't want it to end. Maillard created such a rich world with beautifully drawn characters, exploring some very topical issues (no spoilers) without relying on cliches or being heavy-handed.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A masterpiece of the complexities, the joys and the horrors, of love and all of its facets. One of those books where every page, every sentence, every word, adds up to come to a head in a breathtaking crescendo. Maillard expertly braids together twin narratives, and themes of gender, of familial and sexual love, and the weirdness of unbreakable twin bonds. Truly a worthwhile read.

[Marjory Lang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Twin Studies is a compulsively good read. There are surprises at every turn and you learn a lot by being drawn into the characters, mostly very young characters. An added bonus for me was its setting. I have never read a book set in the place I live and this novel is saturated in location detail. Highly recommended!

[Gisela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a really excellent book. It was engaging and accessible, while at the same time dealing with some very complex issues in a very empathetic manner. And the characters all felt entirely believable, so much so that I find myself wondering about the decisions they might ultimately make as they go on with their lives. Highly recommended.

[Elizabeth Hand · Rating 5 out of 5]

As is usual with a book by Keith M, I was hooked from the first page. I was surprised by how deeply personal this story is. The characters are so fleshy, you could swear that you knew them. You might forget that you don’t.

[Pascale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Keith Maillard can write women surprisingly well for an older gentlemen. Maillard also seems like a really cool dude and pretty darn feminist. A lovely, messy, large novel.

[Alison Jacques · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know where to start with my absolute love of this book; I just finished it and my heart is full to the brim.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really liked the first half and maybe would have liked it more if had been shorter. I had a hard time finishing it. Do parents and 13 year olds really swear that much to each other?

[Jessica Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very special book