This is an intriguing story and not at all what I expected. I loved Niffenegger's previous novel, The Time Traveler's Wife. When I saw this was set in and around an English cemetery, I wasn't sure it would be my cup of tea. It took a couple chapters to warm to the eccentric characters, but by then, I could hardly put the book down. Niffenegger has a true gift for prose, and though I felt the ending was too ambiguous to be satisfying, it was all artfully presented. Much of the story revolves around twins, as there are two sets in the tale, the younger twins being particularly interesting as they are mirror images of one another, with handedness, moles, and even internal organs reversed. I'm grasping for another novel to compare it to, but can't quite come up with anything. It is set in the present day, yet has a Victorian cemetery figuring very prominently, and thus has the feel of a historical novel. Sensual, surprising, and oddly tender, this is a story that will haunt you.
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