Twins are a package deal. They come with double the trouble and double the entertainment. But they’re no different from other siblings. So why is there so much intrigue when it comes to twins? Like my sister and me, we’re sisters who happen to be born on the same day. Unlike my sister and me, twins usually look the same. Somehow looking the same and sharing a birthday comes with complex emotions and relationships between twins.
Whether it’s resentment against each other or their sibling bond is just as strong, twins are a natural phenomenon explored in the media. Books are no exceptions. These next twins come with all the drama you could want to explore. With clashing personalities like yin and yang, you have more than enough options for some twin chemistry to fill your day.
Desiree and Stella Vignes from The Vanishing Half
Desiree and Stella have been together through thick and thin. Running away from their small southern town, the twins’ lives take massive directions, becoming very different. Now a mother, Desiree moves back home to that small town, finding relief in the simple things as a bartender. Stella marries a wealthy white man, passing off as a white woman who revels in the luxurious life she doesn’t want to give up for anything. Despite being separated for so long and becoming different people, their lives are just as intertwined as when they were children.
Rin and Yukio Okumura from Blue Exorcist
I love these twins simply because they are fraternal twins like my sister and I. Rin has blue hair, blue eyes, and pointy teeth, while Yukio has brown hair with teal eyes (in the anime). Sometimes, you forget they’re twins and how different they are. They both have a love-and-hate relationship. Rin is jealous of Yukio for fighting alongside their adoptive dad, Shiro Fujimoto, who knows the exorcist world and has kept it from him for a long time. Yukio hates how Rin has a naturally strong attitude, always taking care of Yukio as the older twin. Neither wants to be seen as weak by the other while also loving each other and wanting to take care of each other.
Paul and Phoebe from The Memory Keeper’s Daughter
Paul and Phoebe were separated at birth. Their father, David Henry, and the nurse who helped deliver the babies only know the truth. Paul was born healthy and normal, while Phoebe was born with Down Syndrome. David, who had a sister who died from Down Syndrome at the age of 12, feared Phoebe would have the same tragic end. Not wanting his wife to deal with such a loss later on gives Norah the bad news of Phoebe’s death. Secretly, David hands Phoebe to the nurse, Caroline, who decides to keep her as if her child. A secret that spans 25 years, David lives in regret, and the twins are not the wiser. Secrets always end, shaling Paul and Phoebe’s state of life while finding each other.
Helen and Ellie from Beside Myself
What’s a psychological thriller between two sisters? A whole lot of mental problems and a game that never ends. Helen and Eliie decide to swap identities as a game at just six years old, only for it to take a dark turn as Ellie doesn’t want to switch back; Helen is now stuck as Ellie. Helen was the most popular of the two. Helen was the one with friends and had their mother’s undying love and favoritism. Ellie was without friends and the one who always got punished for every single thing she did wrong. It’s no wonder Ellie wants to be Helen. But Helen now has to deal with mental issues, questioning who she is. Did she ever play the game?
Cal and Aron Trask from East of Eden
Cain and Abel are famously notorious figures in the Bible, and those who know them probably don’t want to get in the middle of that relationship. Unfortunately for twin brothers Cal and Aron, they have a nasty rivalry that mirrors those infamous siblings. Depicted as evil and good, Cal and Aron both resent each other. Cal is jealous of his father’s obvious preference for Aron, and Aron is always on Cal’s case about his want to fight. Interestingly, the twins’ roles aren’t set in stone like one would think. Both boys are put in those roles when all they want is familial love, the one thing they have in common.
As a twin, I can safely say that my relationship with my sister is not as toxic or complicated as the ones from this list. At this point in our lives, as we grow older, we’re in a place where we’re simply sisters, and thank goodness we don’t share a face.
For more drama, check out Bookstr’s Enter the Wonderous Theater Spotlight With These Dramatic Plays!
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