By Elyse Schein and Paula Bernstein
“Twins have been seen on sonogram images in the womb kissing, punching and embracing. Clearly, a powerful connection between twins begins even before birth. Nevertheless, having shared the womb together for nine months, when we met at age thirty-five, we were strangers…”
In the fall of 2002, Elyse Schein, an American filmmaker living in Paris, submitted an internet request for information about her birth parents at age thirty-three; it was a decision that changed her life forever. Elyse had always known that she was adopted and although her mother died when she was just 6 years old and her family was not extremely close, she loved her father and brothers very much. Soon, she received some startling information: she has an identical twin sister who was adopted by another family. Elyse was ecstatic; she always felt like she was missing something in her life and suddenly things make sense.
Paula, on the other hand, was happily living in Brooklyn with her husband and baby daughter, not even thinking about searching for her birth parents. When she was contacted by the adoption agency and told that she has a twin sister who is looking for her, she was completely stunned. Paula had lived a mostly happy life, with wealthy adoptive parents, and an Ivy league education. At first, she was overwhelmed and very apprehensive about having a twin.
The sisters nervously made plans to meet each other, each afraid of losing their individuality and seeing a stranger with the same face as theirs. Slowly, they began to get to know and trust each other, discovering many shared characteristics and interests.
“Twins have been seen on sonogram images in the womb kissing, punching and embracing. Clearly, a powerful connection between twins begins even before birth. Nevertheless, having shared the womb together for nine months, when we met at age thirty-five, we were strangers…”
In the fall of 2002, Elyse Schein, an American filmmaker living in Paris, submitted an internet request for information about her birth parents at age thirty-three; it was a decision that changed her life forever. Elyse had always known that she was adopted and although her mother died when she was just 6 years old and her family was not extremely close, she loved her father and brothers very much. Soon, she received some startling information: she has an identical twin sister who was adopted by another family. Elyse was ecstatic; she always felt like she was missing something in her life and suddenly things make sense.
Paula, on the other hand, was happily living in Brooklyn with her husband and baby daughter, not even thinking about searching for her birth parents. When she was contacted by the adoption agency and told that she has a twin sister who is looking for her, she was completely stunned. Paula had lived a mostly happy life, with wealthy adoptive parents, and an Ivy league education. At first, she was overwhelmed and very apprehensive about having a twin.
The sisters nervously made plans to meet each other, each afraid of losing their individuality and seeing a stranger with the same face as theirs. Slowly, they began to get to know and trust each other, discovering many shared characteristics and interests.
Further research into their background made both women wonder why a highly respected adoption agency would separate twins and what happened to their birth parents. The further they dig, the more disturbing the results are. They later learned that their mother was bi-polar and hospitalized in a Staten Island mental hospital for a suicide attempt weeks before they were born, that she did not know who their father was, but realized that she could not care for a baby. Elyse and Paula were unknowingly part of a controversial experiment conducted by the adoption agency for a study about nature v. nurture in children with a history of mental illness in their families. Their adoptive families were never told about their twin or their mother’s schizophrenia.
This is a riveting memoir about the search for identity and family. The chapters leading up to the reunion are exciting, and so is the twins’ search for information about their birth mother. It's almost like watching a real life mystery unravel before your eyes. The sisters aren’t extremely likeable, especially Paula, who isn’t sure if she wants Elyse in her life and is hesitant at times about researching their past. There is a lot of fascinating background information about twins scattered throughout the book; I just skimmed it at times if it was too distracting. Overall though, this was an interesting and informative book.
This is a riveting memoir about the search for identity and family. The chapters leading up to the reunion are exciting, and so is the twins’ search for information about their birth mother. It's almost like watching a real life mystery unravel before your eyes. The sisters aren’t extremely likeable, especially Paula, who isn’t sure if she wants Elyse in her life and is hesitant at times about researching their past. There is a lot of fascinating background information about twins scattered throughout the book; I just skimmed it at times if it was too distracting. Overall though, this was an interesting and informative book.
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