Book: Double Act
Author: Jacqueline Wilson
Published: 1995

Sometimes people need to grow apart. That is difficult as an adult, but the twin children in this book are emotionally unequipped for this reality. Shit, I am emotionally unepuipped for this situation, and I am approaching forty.

The twins have some other obstacles in their path, like losing their mother and their dad’s subsequent second marriage. For a book aimed at chidren aged nine to thirteen, I think it does an adequate job of managing the big emotions inherent in the plot. The twins’ perspective of adult decisions resonates.

But I see no reason for an emotionally intact adult to read this book. It’s not particularly imaginative the way that Roald Dahl’s books are. It’s a short inoffensive read, but in a life of limited time and unlimited books to read this one doesn’t make my cut.