Twinship: A Novel by the Author of Ex Utero

As zany and preposterous as fans of Ex Utero and Portrait of the Walrus by a Young Artist will expect, Foos's new novel is another story of bizarre events related with deadpan humor. It's the lively tale of Maxi Dublin, who literally gives birth to herself--or, at least, to what doctors contend is a clone of herself. Maxi and her mother, Minnie, have been concerned about the ticking biological clock for years, and Minnie finally comes up with a foolproof way for single, 34-year-old Maxi to get pregnant: Maxi must seduce bisexual Jerry, a cat-groomer in her Persian cat breeding business in Winfield, N.Y. The plan goes without a hitch until delivery day, when, instead of producing a normal baby, Maxi births a clone. Doctors clamor to examine the infant, whom Minnie dubs Middle, and the inevitable media swarm occurs. While still in the incubator, Middle is discovered to be growing at a super-accelerated rate: ""in a matter of minutes, she'd grown to the size of a six-month-old."" Then the more-than-unstable Minnie, deciding that she is the baby's rightful mother, kidnaps Middle from the hospital, and the chase is on. Maxi enlists the help of Cecilia, a therapist who bears a striking resemblance to Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York (Minnie is obsessed with the royal family and fancies she looks like the duchess, too), and hits the road in search of Middle (i.e., herself). She intends to use Cecilia, posing as the duchess, as bait to lure her mother. Then, she vows, she'll finally stand up to Minnie, and take back her life. Foos habitually repeats both phrases and ideas, as if she doesn't trust the reader to grasp the subtext, but that detracts only slightly from this endlessly inventive and wackily entertaining tale. Agent, Tony Gardner. Author tour. (Sept.)