The Twins by L.V. Matthews

Author: L.V. Matthews 

Title: The Twins 

Publisher: Welbeck 

Published: 2022

Pages: 341

Genre: Psychological Thriller 

     Two sisters. An intense bond. A bitter rivalry. Margo is a solitary live-in nanny for an upper-class Kensingon family. Cora is a promiscuous dancer on the cusp of a big break, living hand-to-mouth in a run-down London flat. Different though they are, an unspeakable incident from childhood haunts them both. When the terrible secret comes to light, their fragile existences shatter, pitting them against each other in a race for survival. But can there be a winner when a secret is so dark?

     After a brief but much-needed holiday, it was time to pick up something new to read. Which can always be a tricky feet when you have piles surrounding you all begging to be picked next. So after spending a good half hour scouring the tiles around me. I decided to pick something from an author I'd not read before. The Twins by L.V. Matthews had a whole bunch of great reviews. And a tale of siblings is something I am always drawn to. Whilst we can all be great friends with our sisters or brothers it can also breed a great rivalry. Or in fact in this case a need to beat the other in order to survive to see the rising of the sun with a sense of freedom. It felt to me like this was going to be just the right book for me to delve into. And I'm always happy to see how a new author might tackle a genre that feels so familiar to me.

     The book is split into two different perspectives, each part devoted to one of the sisters. It gives us a glimpse into two very different worlds both as a collective part of London but ones that are most definitely worlds apart. Margo the ever overworked nanny. Running from this job to that always trying to keep everyone around her happy. I suppose she feels like she is trying to make up for things that took place out of her control. But this misguided feeling of guilt means she has grown up to be a people pleaser. Someone who lives to serve but can never get to a place of contentment in herself. Cora on the other hand is someone who possibly should feel guilt but seems fairly incapable of doing so. She lives only for her own thoughts and dreams and couldn't care less how these actions may affect others. But when you are in pursuit of your dreams why would you let a little something like other people stop you. These twins are like order and chaos destined to be bonded together but much like magnets of the same polarity always pushing away from each other.

     The Twins is one of those books that draws you in from just the first couple of pages. I liked the way the author has found the perfect balance as we move from one sister to the other at just the right moment. It means that we not only get to learn about their individual lives but also in smaller building blocks piecing together how their relationship came to be so fractured. It is one of those tales where we can see how the butterfly effect can come into being and shows the far bigger consequences of such actions even if we may believe in the moment that nothing can come of it. But I suppose for most at least when we are young we believe our family will always be there for us. That nothing we can do will ever change that. It is only as adults we realize that there are limits to just how far this can go. For Cora and Margo, this is never more true but there is always going to be a moment when this all comes crashing down. It is just a matter of how the cards will fall when their two worlds collide.  

     This was one of those books that went beyond my expectations. It is far too easy to expect a string of tired twin cliches when going in. But thankfully Matthew's has managed to craft a narrative that not only managed to avoid such moments but has also went on to surprise me on more than one occasion. I fully believe that anyone who enjoys thrillers will find a new favorite within these pages.