L is for Lansens

If you are like me and are fortunate enough to have a sister, you know it's a unique relationship. A sister knows you like no one else does or can. She's been there your entire life and remembers what it was like when you were a goofy little kid. She loves you because of who you are and despite who you are. As children, sisters may fight, feud, pull hair, call each other names and tease each other mercilessly, but as adults, you find your best friend in your sister. Now imagine your sister being by your side every day, every minute, every second. No matter how much you love your sister, can you fathom being attached to her at the head? That is the story of Rose and Ruby in "The Girls" by Lori Lansens, my choice for my "L" book.

Ruby and Rose are born one night during a tornado. They are the daughters of a 15-year-old girl who runs away as soon as she sees them. Fortunately for "the girls," as they come to be known in their small Canadian town, they are adopted by the nurse who was there when they were born. Aunt Lovey, as they call her, and her Slovac husband Stash raise the girls in a dilapidated farm house where they can be as normal as possible. The novel is written in the girls own words. It is their autobiography as they face their 30th birthday and the possibility of being the oldest living craniopagus conjoined twins. It's a funny, touching story of the the love between sisters, overcoming daunting obstacles, living life and facing death.

Though forever joined at the head, the girls are as different as night and day. Rose is able to walk, but because of Ruby's shortened legs and club feet, must carry her sister all the time. Rose is a sports fan who loves to watch all the games with Uncle Stash. She dreams of being a writer some day and decides she needs to write the story of her life. She realizes that her autobiography must include her sister Ruby because they are after all inseparable. Ruby is the pretty one despite her short legs and the constant hold she has around her sister's neck. Ruby likes TV, but not sports. Ruby also is intrigued with the Native Neutral Indians who once lived on the land that is now their home. She collects artifacts for the local museum. Like other girls coming of age, Rose and Ruby want to know about boys and love. Their crush on a high school classmate opens that door for the girls, but with an outcome neither could have seen coming. We follow the girls into their adult years where they get jobs at the local library. They have their own duties and their own schedules. Yes, they both have to be there whenever either is scheduled, but they want to do things on their own.

"The Girls" is a wonderful story filled with lots of laughs and many tears as well. Lansens really shows the differences between the girls as she writes chapters from each girl's perspective. Rose, the writer, is effusive in her chapters, leaving nothing behind and trying to sound deep and philosophical. Ruby, on the other hand, is simple with the style of someone writing in their journal or diary. Their closeness creates a bond unlike any other while their differences make them learn and grow beyond anything anyone would have thought possible.

Read "The Girls" if you love your sister, but can't imagine being joined to her every second of the day. Read "The Girls" if you don't have a sister, but know the bond of best friends. Recommend "The Girls" to a teenage girl who is trying to fit in and maybe trying to hide all the things that make her unique and special. Read "The Girls" if you want to laugh and cry and consider just how truly blessed each and every one of us is.