Me, Myself, Milly

Milly has always lived in her twin sister Lily’s shadow.  Even her name was last minute and a variation on her sister’s, because her mother had not known she was having twins.  In this story Milly is narrating the events of her life and how she is coping since the events of ‘The Incident’ which happened the previous April.  She is trying to cope with a new school, with new people moving in upstairs and with her unconventional mother.  It looks as if her life has become static and she needs to find a way of moving it forward.

This is a really thoughtful and poignant story, told in a way that resembles a flower unfolding.  We gradually begin to understand why Milly is seeing a counsellor and why Lily, though often mentioned as if in the room, never speaks or interacts with others.  The story is full of hope and some humour, as when she takes her neighbour Devlin to the Roman Baths, only to find out that he has a fear of water. I really felt connected to Milly and thoroughly enjoyed the book and though it deals with some difficult subjects, it does so in a sympathetic and positive way.