by Sara Quin
First published 2019
Sara and Tegan Quin are identical twins living in Calgary during the 1990s grunge and rave scene. They attend the same high school and sleep down the hall from each other, but their experiences diverge in unexpected ways. Both sisters struggle with questions about their sexuality and identity, often feeling isolated in their confusion. Their grades plummet as they experiment with drugs and alcohol. Their parents' marriage falls apart. The pressure to figure out what comes after graduation weighs on them both. Sara falls into her first serious relationships while Tegan finds solace in music. They make different friends and different mistakes, but both discover the power of songs to express what they cannot say aloud. The twins' parallel but distinct journeys through adolescence reveal how two people can share DNA, a bedroom hallway, and a tumultuous family life yet find completely different paths to understanding themselves.
Genres: coming-of-age, contemporary, adolescence, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: coming-of-age, found-family, parallel-narratives
Setting: Calgary
Period: 1990s
384 pages · Hardcover · MCD
Content warnings: alcohol-abuse, drug-use, mental-illness