Shattered Stars

Three siblings separated by fate and tragic circumstance--a sister, a brother and his twin sister whom they both believe to be dead--are the main players in this engrossing contemporary saga. When their mother, in a fit of madness, douses herself with oil and self-immolates, she sets into motion a chain of events that alter the Cesaretti children's destinies. From their childhood home in Tuscany to their uncle's palazzo in Florence and then in America, England and France, the siblings--Francesca, Luciano and Juliet--remain haunted by memories of one another and by their tragic past. Luciano, psychically linked to his lost twin, finds some measure of success as a novelist but is tormented by visions he cannot explain. Juliet, his twin, disfigured in the fire and abandoned by their cruel aunt, is adopted by a compassionate woman, but she is psychologically maimed and cannot achieve emotional release. Only Francesca, a successful photographer in love with a good man, seems capable of putting the past in its place. Even she, however, must surmount numerous pitfalls before the reunion she yearns for can occur. On the way to this novel's chilling finale, Norman ( In Love and Friendship ) recounts heartrending events without lapsing into melodrama. First serial to Good Housekeeping. (May)