Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

Aunt Elespeth's flat, next to Highgate Cemetery in London, has been willed to her nieces, feckless American twins Julia and Valentina. Eccentric neighbours are one thing, but why won't Elspeth stay buried?

A gorgeous and moving piece centered on what truly makes one oneself and how much of personality is bound up in our relationships with others. Every twist of the ending was telegraphed from the beginning, but despite that (or perhaps because of it) each piece is still extremely poignant. If this book has a draw back it is that Niffenegger still has a somewhat heavy hand with the English language. Long passages in Portuguese are written in full and then occasionally translated below (a gimmick which smacks of arrogance), thoughts are typed haphazardly in italics and some sentences simply fall flat.
Overall, an extraordinary second novel.

This book was bound to suffer from high expectations. I almost gave it 2 stars but figured it was not fair. It was very well written and Niffenegger again very genuinely captures the intensity of very close relationships. The characters and their predicaments will probably stay with me for a long time. (need to finish this review later).