Review: One-Two by Igor Eliseev

Published: April 2016 Pages: 206 Synopsis: "Two conjoined babies are born at the crossroads of two social worldviews. Girls are named Faith and Hope. After spending their childhood in a foster home and obtaining primary education, they understand that they are different from other people in many respects. The problems of their growing up are exacerbated with permanent humiliations from society. Finally, fortune favors them, slightly opening a door to happiness – separation surgery that theoretically can be performed in the capital. And sisters start their way, full of difficulties and obstacles. Will they be able to overcome a wall of public cynicism together with internal conflicts among themselves? Will they find a justification for their existence and accept it? Searching for the answers to these and many other questions constitutes the essence of this novel. One-Two is a psychological drama, the main events of which unfold in 1980s and 1990s. The novel is a speculation about how difficult it is to be a human and how important it is to stay human until the end. It is a message full of empathy and kindness addressed to all people." Rating: ** I received a free copy of One-Two in exchange for an honest review. I have only ever read one other book about conjoined twins - One by Sarah Crossan - so I was naturally going to make comparisons, and was excited to read a different author's take on conjoined twins. This was written in a very prosaic way with lengthy descriptions, and some almost philosophical insights and comments. I don't think this was for me, but was an interesting read.