Review: Beside Myself by Ann Morgan

Although six-year-old twins Helen and Ellie are identical, the two couldn't be any more different. Helen is the more popular twin, both with their friends and their own mother. She excels at everything she does.  Ellie, on the other hand, is more of a challenge. She requires frequent punishment and, due to her behavior, doesn't have many friends.

One day, the twins decide to play a game, swapping places for just one day. Except Ellie refuses to switch back, convincing others that Helen's outbursts are typical Ellie antics.  With no one to believe her, Helen begins to fulfill what is expected of her as Ellie. Her grades drop, her behavior deteriorates and, as she gets older, she questions whether the swap ever took place.

Twenty-five years later, mental illness has taken hold of Helen. She hears voices, unable to go out in public for fear of being confused for her now-famous actress twin. She's cut ties with her family, for her own good, but when an accident may force her to confront her past, she's terrified  to be reunited with the one person she should be closest to, the one person who destroyed her life.

What a dark and twisty read! Alternating between two time periods (Helen at age 6 and Helen as an adult), readers get a chillingly accurate glimpse of mental illness.  It is quite terrifying to watch Helen embark upon a downward spiral.  Once a bright and happy child, she quickly transforms into the identity that is expected of her.  Honestly, I can’t believe family members couldn’t detect the switch; this just goes to show the height of Ellie’s twisted and sick behavior. Only two individuals notice that something is different. Unfortunately, these individuals have a history of memory loss and their opinions are not trusted.

As adults, both twin’s identity’s shift dramatically.  Ellie, now a television celebrity, combines their two names and becomes H’Ellie, clearly attempting to completely erase the identity of her twin sister. Helen takes on the name Smudge, a remnant of dirt that should be washed away.

There’s not much that is uplifting about this novel which isn’t to say it’s not an engaging read. The author skillfully crafts each of these characters, portraying that dramatic transformation that permanently alters each child, launching them on a completely different fate. Honestly, I don’t know who I was more terrified of: Helen, once the “normal” child, now obviously mentally disturbed or Ellie, the sick and twisted twin who stole her sister’s identity.

All in all, this chilling psychological thriller is completely engaging, despite the dark tone.  It will leave you with a dark and foreboding feeling; I recommend following it with a more uplifting and hopeful read!

Thank you to TLC Book Tours for providing me the opportunity to review this title. Check out the official tour page for more stops in the tour.