another book to consider

"The Grammarians" by Cathleen Schine.

The Grammarians tells the life-long story of sisters (identical twins!!) who are bound to one another as toddlers by words. A dictionary heavy enough to require a stand, in fact. Words are what rip them apart as childhood evolves into adulthood. And words are what bring them back to each other as life sunsets.

A fascinating, though sometimes tedious, study of family, career, life in the city, and sisterhood. It's hard to tell which of these is the book's theme: Life as words or words as life. Perhaps both. This story moved me with its ability to recreate family issues that most of us have experienced, but cast these issues through a unique prism - the use, understanding, and misunderstanding of words. Words as love. Words as love withheld. Words as conflict. You get the idea.

Cleverly written. At moments dark. At moments tender enough to trigger deep reflection (not acutal tears, but almost). For me, this book has been a revealing detour from the traditional literary path.