Twins in Time - Natalie Griffin

AUTHOR: Natalie Griffin

GENRE: Historical Fiction

RATING: 2 stars.

In a Nutshell: Decent story, flat characters, okayish portrayal of the historical time. Expected a lot more from the promising premise and that appealing cover.

Story Synopsis:

Ellie, an Oklahoma resident in her mid-twenties, is in the car one evening with her friend when they meet with a serious accident. Ellie knows that she has no way of escaping death. However, she somehow ends up awakening more than a century prior, into land-run-era Oklahoma, and with a stranger claiming her as his sister. Completely befuddled, she accompanies the man until she figures out what happened. However, she soon realises that the girl she is supposed to be, Elizabeth Hersley (also her namesake), is soon to be married to the repugnant neighbour. Will Ellie be able to escape into her own time before the impending “I Do”?

The story is written in the first person perspective of Ellie.

Most of the book generated mixed feelings in me.

😕 The contemporary to historical transition was impactful at the start. The locals’ response to Ellie’s garb, their reaction to Ellie’s tendency to curse, and a few more scenes were fun to read. However, after a point, there is no mention about Ellie’s adjustment process, except for when Ellie has to complain. Her character development is quite shallow.

😕 That brings me to the second point. If I were in Ellie’s place and suddenly transported to the mid-1890s, I would have had many reactions – confusion, anger, fear, frustration,… maybe even curiosity. But Ellie’s emotional reactions are almost uni-dimensional and minimal. Her complaints seem mostly restricted to the lack of air-conditioning, her tangled hair, and a couple of complaints about the outhouse and the corset. Surely she should have been more worried about the lifestyle adjustment than with trivial issues! There are no feelings explored at all, all the more odd as it is written in first person. This is where the book had the maximum potential but minimal development.

😕 Some of the secondary characters are interesting. Elliot (Ellie’s “brother”), Sam, Johnathan (a Cherokee Indian) and Mable are memorable. Unfortunately, most of these characters have very limited roles to play, and don’t budge from their predefined roles. There are no surprises coming our way in terms of character development.

😕 One of the main things that MAKES historical fiction is the language, especially the dialogues. I can understand why Ellie spoke in her modern lingo throughout the story. But the other characters also, without a single exception, sounded the same! There was nothing in their speech to make us feel like they were from another era. Merely eliminating cuss words doesn’t make for historical English.

😕 Another important aspect in historical fiction is the recreation of that era to modern readers. However, we learn hardly anything about those times. Sure, there are a couple of paras on the outhouse, more content on the clothes, and a couple of chores such as a scene with the washing of clothes. But the FEEL of the era doesn’t come out well. I can’t help but compare this with Leslie Mannings’ Upside Down in a Laura Ingalls Town, which also explored the idea of a modern girl in a historical world. Manning’s book recreated the old town era so well, while this current book made me feel like I was just reading a contemporary story, just with characters wearing corsets and riding horses.

😕 There are many continuity errors. For instance, Sam once asks her (just a few days after her arrival) why she wasn't in church on Sunday and she replies that she didn't realise she was supposed to be there. But surely, her new “dad” and ‘brother” would have gone to church and definitely ensured that she came along with them, especially if it was the ‘Bible Belt’ as she calls it. Another scene has her father waking her up at 4am by pouring a bucket of water on her on the bed. After breakfast, she goes back to bed to sleep. How's the bed dry so soon? There are also many things left unexplained, but this goes into spoiler territory, so I won’t expound on them.

Because of all these issues, I struggled to concentrate on the book and it took me a whopping eight days to finally complete it. Other reviewers have called it fast-paced, so there might not be an issue with pacing, just with my reaction to the plot.

All in all, I did expect a lot more from this indie book as it seemed to focus on an interesting premise. However, the lacklustre writing and flat character development didn’t appeal to me and this ends up as a disappointment.

My thanks to author Natalie Griffin and BookSirens for the DRC of “Twins in Time”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book. I am sorry this didn’t work out better.