Once upon a time, long, long ago, in 12^th grade English, my classmates and I analyzed a William Blake poem that begins…

Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night
What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

Audrey Niffenegger explores some of the same themes found in “Tyger!” in her newest book Her Fearful Symmetry.  Here we meet twenty-year old identical twin sisters Julia and Valentina Poole, who are inseparable.  Although they look alike, dress alike, and act alike, they don’t always think alike, but Julia has the dominant personality, and Valentina has always just gone along with whatever Julia decides.  

The twins have dropped out of several colleges and are just drifting along aimlessly when, out of the blue, they receive a letter saying that their Aunt Elspeth has died and has left them her London flat located right next door to a morbidly spectacular Victorian cemetery.   Elspeth’s will stipulates that Julia and Valentina may do whatever they wish with the flat, but only after they have lived in it for at least one year.  What ensues is a tale of long-held secrets, bad things that emerge from good intentions, restless spirits, self-destruction and ghosts.  This is an enjoyable read, but I recommend that you read William Blake’s poem as a companion to Her Fearful Symmetry, and you’ll get much more out of the story.