One by Sarah Crossan | Book Review

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Tippi and Grace share everything—clothes, friends . . . even their body. Writing in free verse, Sarah Crossan tells the sensitive and moving story of conjoined twin sisters, which will find fans in readers of Gayle Forman, Jodi Picoult, and Jandy Nelson.Tippi and Grace. Grace and Tippi. For them, it’s normal to step into the same skirt. To hook their arms around each other for balance. To fall asleep listening to the other breathing. To share. And to keep some things private. The two sixteen-year-old girls have two heads, two hearts, and each has two arms, but at the belly, they join. And they are happy, never wanting to risk the dangerous separation surgery.But the girls’ body is beginning to fight against them. And soon they will have to face the impossible choice they have avoided for their entire lives.

If I told you I just got sucked into a verse book about conjoined twins, you would probably look at me like I was smoking something. I will admit, I’ve not always been one to be interested in things like conjoined twins. There’s just something kind of voyeuristic about even thinking on that, to me, given that I think this was a plotline of a show on TLC. Regardless, One by Sarah Crossan entered my thresholdand I posted a picture on Instagram and this really awesome editor said ‘ YOU MUST READ THIS’ only not quite so shouty, and I did and oh my god, oh my god you guys. I really found Crossan’s One to be a meaningful tale of the bonds of sisterhood.

One by Sarah Crossan is about Grace and Tippi, conjoined twins. FYI conjoined twins are what used to be called Siamese twins. Grace and Tippi’s father has lost his professor job. Their mother is working long hours at the bank. All the family’s money is going into maintaining insurance for the medical care for the girls. Alas, the two are no longer able to be homeschooled because of the financial situation at home. And so, they end up going to school outside the house for the very first time – at a prestigious private school, no less. Here, Grace finds herself having a crush for the first time. The girls make their first non-family friend. They do teenage things like rebel. Of course, it is a different experience from what maybe you or I had growing up. Yet, there’s some things that are universal, regardless. There are triumphs and tragedies contained within Crossan’s latest book, but I assure you it is well worth the one sitting you will read this book in.

By all intents and purposes, it would seem like Tippi should be the main character. She is bold and strong and courageous. Yet, it is Grace who is the more vulnerable one who is the main character. I like that sometimes Grace is a Chucky Finster, sometimes she is all this is a bad life choice, but goes along with it anyways. The thing that is really awesome about Grace as a character is that she is a normal teenager who happens to be a conjoined twin. She has her own personality separate from Tippi. She enjoys things like reading. She does, in fact, have a crush and well, you will see what happens. Grace is the kind of character who will worm her way int your heart, but quietly so you won’t even notice until after she has taken up residence there.

Crossan does not shy away from going into detail on Tippi and Grace and how the two are differently abled. They do have some health issues. Yet, what I love is instead of taking a default mode and assuming the girls would hate being cojoined, Crossan shows that Grace and Tippi actually do not mind at all. It is their normal and what Crossan does is allow for the reader to accept it as Grace an Tippi accept it. One also goes into detail on things faced by Grace and Tippi such as assuming they will never fall in love or have a romance because they have a body that is not mainstream. There is also the rude questions they get. As well as stares and pointing. Yet, this is more than an overcome the struggle sort of book. It is overall about the bond of sisterhood and just how deep that bond can go.

I said above that I had read all of One in a single sitting – this is true. I read it at the beach. One by Sarah Crossan is written in verse. It is the perfect format for this book. Crossan has proven herself to be quite talented writing in verse. And well, I really respect that creative decision for this book. If you’ve never tried a verse book but maybe think you want to give it a shot, pick up One. Also, this book will totally make you well up in public and feel all the feelings and that is totally okay.

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April (Books&Wine)

April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.

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