A review of Identical by Ellen Hopkins

On the surface, they are identical, straight to the dimples. A nuclear family with parents working high-paying jobs with two identical-twin daughters doing well in high-school. But beyond this mask this family has dark secrets that twist their lives.

Identical by Ellen Hopkins is a powerful story about abuse and coping. Before I begin to review this book let me warn you, this book is very mature. Concepts like sexual assault, sex, drugs, self-harm, and incest are all present. Identical is written from the perspectives of teenage twins Kaeleigh and Raenne. Each page is a free-form poem with one of the two narrators talking about their lives. Hopkins masterfully uses this abstract form of writing to show a deeper meaning that extends to the lines themselves. You can see how Hopkins wants you to read the book by the breaks within the lines and the power of each message is heightened by their unique form of styling. Emotional bits are shaped in the shape of a heart and the more dark parts are represented by individual words spaced out as the lines go diagonally almost like blood dripping.

The story itself is a powerful message that whats on the surface isn't always whats going on in their life. Kaeleigh, a model student and actor, however, deep down she is harboring secrets of being sexually assaulted by her father. As a way of coping, she begins to cut herself and begins to push away the people who love and care about her. Raenne, a history buff and grade-A student, is envious of Kaeleigh and her special treatment by her father. she resorts to drugs and ends up in an abusive relationship just because she was neglected by her family. Kay, Kaeleigh and Raenne's mom, on the surface is a politician, has neglected her children and husband and barely spends any time with them. Worst of all is Raymod, their father. He is a well respected district judge on the surface but an abuser and alcoholic at home. All of their behaviors can be stemmed from one accident. Raymond was driving under the influence and ended up in a car crash. This caused Kay to become distant and Ray, out of loneliness, began to sexually abuse Kayleigh, which in turn caused Raenne to feel neglected. The rest of the story is about how these two teenagers engage in dangerous and destructive behaviors. Kay is up for re-election and as such is spending more time at home. This causes the rest of the family to act and behave very differently and we see how it effects their lives.

By far this book's best strength is its ending. Raymond's grandmother keeps calling trying to make contact with the twins and eventually tells them that as a child, Raymond unknowingly took part in child pornography that made it to the news. This scarred Raymond and explains why he never really talked about his past. But that's not all, in one of the most shocking twists I have read in a long time, Kayleigh and Raenne end up being the same person. Raenee apparently died in that car crash and kaeleigh, out of grief, developed a split personality that took the form of her dead sister. This explains a lot of the behavior of the characters and upon a re-read, it is clear how the author hints at this by the characters reactions. The final part of the story is left ambiguous as to what will happen leaving the reader with a lot to think about. This book is a 500+ page buildup to a powerful and memorable ending that leaves the door open to interpretation and speculation. Ellen Hopkins has truly crafted a masterpiece with Identical.