Being Double: A Memoir

By Marian Plaut and Helen Coutant

Raised by a father who shies away from conflict and an iron-willed mother who is undemonstrative and aloof, identical twins Helen and Marian Webb explore the advantages and disadvantages of being double in a dysfunctional family. With an older sister who displays signs of mental illness at an early age and acts out-sometimes violently-against them, the twins find safety with an older brother. They are forced to weather the challenges of puberty, the fears generated by both the polio epidemic and the Cold War, and the instability of their home life as a united front.

"Being Double is a tour de force of collaborative memoir by twin sisters, whose voice, like twinspeak seems 'like it's coming from a single mind.' Theirs is a memorable family of imaginative, complex, word-loving individuals. The story is dramatic, wildly funny, and sometimes terrifying, pushing and breaching the boundaries between what we call sanity and madness. Beautifully written, rich with detail, illuminating and entertaining, Being Double is a joy to read." - Mary Azrael, Passager editor and author of Riddles for a Naked Sailor and The House No House

"Being Double is the story of twins and their lives that are forever entwined. It is written with vivid detail and unflinching honesty, a story that exposes humanity and family flaws while acknowledging the transcendent power of love and belonging. We should all be so lucky to be known the way one twin knows the other." - Heidi J. Moore, MD

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0932GNNLM
• ISBN13: 9798707104923
• Release Date: April 2021
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 318 Pages
• Weight: 0.94 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"