Legendary Siamese twins Chang and Eng have inspired such novels as Darin Strauss's Chang and Eng (Dutton, 2000) and Mark Slouka's God's Fool (Knopf, 2002). This summer brings a twin-lit revival, with three more fictional tales of literally inseparable characters.
| Half Life by Shelley Jackson (HarperCollins, July) | The Girls by Lori Lansens (Little, Brown, May) | Ludmila's Broken English by DBC Pierre (Norton, May) | |
| Twins in question: | Nora and Blanche Olney | Rose and Ruby Darlen | Blair and Bunny Heath |
| Synopsis: | In a not-too-distant future, one twin plots to kill the other. | Pushing 30, the twins look back on their lives in smalltown Ontario. | The twins (male) meet up with a Russian mail-order bride in terror-struck London; misadventures ensue. |
| Where they're joined: | Collarbone | Head | Trunk |
| Do they separate? | Read to find out | No | Yes |
| Marketing angle: | Middlesex meets Geek Love | Gothic Canadian | Globalization and its misfits |
