Critical Consensus for 9/29: Audrey Niffenegger’s Her Fearful Symmetry
Her Fearful Symmetry
Audrey Niffenegger, bestselling author of The Time Traveler’s Wife, is back with a new novel about love and the supernatural. Her Fearful Symmetry begins with the death of the 40-something protagonist, Elspeth. An identical twin herself, Elspeth leaves her London flat to her identical twin nieces from Chicago, Julia and Valentina. The problem is, Elspeth is still living in the apartment - or at least, her spirit is. She watches her young, waif-like nieces spend a year in London, with Valentina trying to pull away from Julia’s overbearing grasp. The presence of Elspeth’s former lover downstairs adds more drama to the situation as he becomes involved with Valentina. This fragile balance is upset by sudden plot twists, which several critics complain are implausible and detract from the overall story. While critics agree that fans of The Time Traveler’s Wife will enjoy this story’s complexity and romance, they fear readers may be disappointed by characters and a world that aren’t thoroughly convincing.
“Lovers of Niffenegger’s past work should rejoice. This outing may not be as blindly romantic as The Time Traveler’s Wife, but it is mature, complex and convincing.” - Susann Cokal, New York Times
“Unfortunately, despite her premature death, Elspeth is perhaps the least sympathetic of all: all but insufferable in life and death.” - Martin Rubin, Los Angeles Times
“Only the spectral Elspeth feels real. And what does it say about a novel that the one character who feels alive is a ghost?” - Lev Grossman, Time
“While the ending may not be totally satisfying, Her Fearful Symmetry manages to remain a beautiful testament to Niffenegger’s fertile imagination and love of storytelling.” - Mary Houlihan, Chicago Sun-Times
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