First Person Plural

Beierle weaves a fascinating if implausible story of conjoined twins trying to forge as normal an existence as possible. Porter and Owen Jamison try to maintain a moderate degree of independence, but it's not an easy feat with one torso between them. In high school, Porter is a cheerleader-dating football player, while Owen prefers the quiet company of books. As they mature and experience sexual awakenings, Owen, who narrates, realizes he's gay. Since ""PorterandOwen"" share the same plumbing, a new set of necessary negotiations ensue. But when Porter marries Faith Colquitt, a young woman from a conservative Southern background, her parents learn to accept Porter, but their homophobia creates even more pain for Owen-especially after he falls in love with Faith's brother, Chase. Though narrator Owen does a lot of unnecessary, repetitive dwelling on his ""otherness,"" Beierle handles his material for the most part with a light touch.