The only time..
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I first read this book many years ago (makes me feel so old, but it was my lunch time read at my work - very vivid memory of this). You become absorbed into the fabric of the characters very quickly, particularly the twins. Sheri doesn't treat her characters with the apparent respect that many other authors do; They seem to feel that the hero/ine should at (almost) all times come out on top. The first one of hers I read was 'After Long Silence', and at the end you knew she wasn't going to give you a comfortable time - or go along with your expectations. (One scene in 'The Gate to Women's Country' springs instantly to mind.) As for the title of the review; I was sat at the table in the kitchen at work, as I usually did on my breaks, reading this book. And when.. well, I'll not spoil it. She draws you in to the plights of the characters, and the twins you could just hug. So when she did...THAT to them I hurled the book across the kitchen and just sat there. I could happily have throttled her! But I was back in the book after a few minutes chilling out. Films may make you cry, but when a book (of fiction) can do that you just have to recommend it to everyone you can.
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This one will stay with you... whether you like it or not...
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I first read "Sideshow" several years ago. I read it again shortly after and then read it yet again recently. This is a book that probably suffers from being lumped under the "science fiction/fantasy" label which detracts from the fact that it is a beautifully written and remarkably imaginative story containing strong characters and elements of shear horror that would not be out of place in a Clive barker novel. There are scenes - I use the term scenes pointedly... you feel as if you've watched them rather than read them... that will haunt you long after turning the final page. The "conversion" of the twins into "Dinka-Jin's" - the ultimate in artificial body enhancement - is something that belongs in a nightmare - yet is strangely compelling. This is the literary equivalent of watching Erazorhead. The conclusion is almost incidental... it is the wonder of the journey that takes you there that will remain in your memory, whether you wish it to or not, for a very long time
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