Reviewer Bani Sodermark. Bani has a Ph.D in mathematical physics and has been a teacher of physics and mathematics at the university level in both India and Sweden. For the last decade, her interests have been spirituality, healthy living and self-development. She has written a number of reviews on Amazon. Bani is a mother to two children.
Follow Here To Purchase The Investigation of Ariel Warning
Author: Robert Kalich
Publisher:MacAdam/Cage
ISBN:
978-1-59692-372-0
An Exploration into the Dynamic
Between Identical Twins.
“You were born together and
together you shall be forevermore,.....
But let there be spaces in
your togetherness.”
from The Prophet by Kahlil
Gibran.
These words were spoken by the Prophet in the book
that goes by the same name when asked to comment on Marriage. This
premise, however, applies just as well to the case of identical
twins. Especially so, as in the case of the identical twins described
in this book.
This book is essentially a detective thriller
which builds on the close relationship between a pair of identical
twins, when a woman with a problem of mistaken identity comes between
them, pursuing both vigorously in order to seek personal and sexual
fulfilment. The guilt experienced by the protagonist, Adam Remler,
for betraying his beloved twin brother, provides the spur for Adam to
investigate the antecedents of this woman. The story of that search
provides the main content of this book. A good deal of the plot has
to do with identical twins and the intense bonds they share with each
other.
The dynamic of the identical twin relationship is
explored at different levels, in this book, being compared to that
between two close friends (both doctors) and also between another
married couple who give birth to a pair of conjoined identical twins.
The book has been written in the first person singular, and it is
clear that the author documents his own experiences of being an
identical twin in the guise of Adam Remler.
There is another
side to the twin dynamic that has also been explored in this book. A
side which shows that identical twins complement each other. Adam’s
twin, David, is a famous writer, who writes mainly with his
intellect. Adam, however, is more of a gambler, who challenges fate
and often gets away with it. This material is also clearly
autobiographical, Robert Kahlich has also written a book on betting,
thus adding to the credibility factor of this book.
If there
is a moral to the story, it is this: even identical twins can come
too close to each other for mutual comfort, as the empathic bond
between them can be severely tested by sexual misdemeanour from
either side. This is also the author’s conclusion; personal space,
even for identical twins, who have total access 24/7 is the key to
optimal functioning for both. As summed up in “The Prophet”,
“Sing
and dance and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone....
Give
your hearts, but not into each other’s keeping,
For only the
hand of Life can contain your hearts”.
This book is a
rolicking good read and holds one’s attention till the very end.
The plot is well conceived, the characters ring true and the
autobiographical element adds a strong touch of ground realism. This
book has staying power, the ambience created by the book, lingered,
long after I put it aside. You might want to reread it (as I did) to
see how the jigsaw pieces fit together. A conversation with the
author revealed that this was the book he enjoyed writing the most,
it took him eleven years to do so.
I recommend this book
strongly to all readers of bookpleasures.com.