One

by Sarah Crossan

[shannonmiz]

This review was originally posted on It Starts at Midnight
I loved the idea of One the minute I'd heard about it. I mean, conjoined twins?! Sign me up! Has this even ever happened before in YA? Conjoined twins fascinate me, even if that is a non-PC thing to say. I mean, I would never gawk at people, or think them strange, I understand the physical stuff. What I cannot wrap my head around is the psychological component, the emotions attached to living joined to another person, another soul. And here's the thing: I never will. I was born as a singleton, and joined to no one in any way. So I can't possibly understand what that is like, just as a conjoined twin could never understand what it feels like not to share vital body parts.

That said, Sarah Crossan did a phenomenal job of getting into that mindset. It's told in verse, which I will admit to being wary of. But I needn't have been because it is kind of perfect for this book. I really think it worked well, and the writing was absolutely stunning. I felt the emotions vividly, and I definitely felt for Grace and Tippi, and really, their whole family. It's told from Grace's point of view, which is really incredible. Grace worries about all the normal teen stuff, but also about people thinking she is an absolute monster because she is conjoined. And people... well, people are cruel. People stare, people whispered (or just flat out spoke aloud rudely), and were not at all subtle about their curiosities.
Tippi and Grace start school, and finally meet friends (who, incidentally, have secrets of their own), and right when they start to feel the slightest bit like typical teens, their bodies decide to fight against them. They have a lot of choices to make and situations to navigate, especially for two girls at such a fragile time in their lives.

And the family is a mess too. Of course, the medical bills and special everyday needs for conjoined twins basically suck. I can't even imagine the fortune it must have cost, and the family is paying for it monetarily, and much, much more. Every family member has their own issues that they're trying to navigate, and while Grace and Tippi would love for the focus to be off them, it isn't in the cards right now.

The only downside to the verse-telling was that it was a little easy to be as connected to Grace as I'd wanted to be. But the story did still pack an emotional punch on many levels. And there were moments that were predictable, but again, it didn't really take much away from the story for me.

Bottom Line: Even though I assume none of us are conjoined, the struggles that Grace faces are so relatable- dealing with family, and peers, and concerns about the future. The writing is lovely, the book is thought provoking, and the emotions are high. It's quite a beautiful book overall.