The Wedding of the Two-Headed Woman : A Novel

Rating:
Summary: A Little Too Strange
Review: Having read Alice Mattison's "Book Borrower," I expected more from this book, especially after reading editorial reviews about it. I know there was all kinds of symbolism in this book, and it wasn't that hard to get, but mostly I just didn't care enough about any of the characters, except maybe the husband Pekko. Mostly I just thought it was kind of silly, with not much to redeem it.

Rating:
Summary: Engrossing and Insightful
Review: I really might have given this book a four-star rating, because I would be inclined to save the five-star ratings for Faulkner-level fiction, but I wanted to offset the tepid reviews of other readers. I liked this book a lot.

I picked the book off the shelf for its bizarre title, and I was very glad that I did. This book works wonderfully on a number of levels---I will be thinking about it for quite some time. It's not your typical easy-read mystery novel, but it is nonetheless extremely engaging. It's deep enough to satisfy my English major origins, and accessible enough to hold me to the end, despite my overloaded lifestyle and constant interruptions from my children. This is an extremely insightful book that rings very true, both emotionally and philosophically.

The themes---or, rather, what I perceived as the themes---are complex and thought-provoking. The author doesn't dole out easy answers to moral and philosophical questions---life doesn't work that way, and neither should literature. What are some of the themes, as I perceive them? Oh, well........Personal moral responsibility, loyalty, the interconnectedness of human beings, moral relativity, emotional intimacy, how one judges the "goodness" of another human being, the emotional fall-out from keeping (or not keeping secrets), intellectual snobbery, the purpose of art..... I may be completely off base, but these are the issues that this book raised in my mind. Oh, and I disagree with the person who found the book bizarre. The characters, and even the plot, rang very true for me.

Whether you like or dislike this book, I predict that it will be very memorable for you.



Rating:
Summary: I didnt' like it as much as I'd hoped I would
Review: THE WEDDING OF THE TWO-HEADED WOMAN by Alice Mattison



Here's a rather unusual title for an unusual book: THE WEDDING OF THE TWO-HEADED WOMAN, written by Alice Mattison. The title is in reference to a headline taken from a tabloid newspaper that the main character, Daisy Andalusia, sees at the home of one of her clients. She uses this in her experimental acting group and from there, the group creates a play based on a woman with two heads.



This probably sounds rather eccentric and enigmatic. It is. The book is written in a style in which the reader gets bits and pieces of dialogue or scenes that all come together as the story progresses. We slowly learn a little more about Daisy and what makes her tick. Daisy is the focal point, and the play she is participating in symbolizes more than just a woman that has two heads, as the play starts to evolve and grow.



Daisy herself is a woman that seems to have a great need to control everything in her life. She obsesses over sex, is used to being free and single, and has just married her long time lover, Pekko Roberts, who is a slum lord (but is in denial about it). Daisy is in business for herself, taking on clients that need help cleaning up. Her clients live like pack rats, living in homes that are fire hazards and resemble any house cleaner's nightmare. She finds satisfaction in cleaning up and organizing these homes, but only homes with a somewhat organized mess. Her latest client, Gordon Skeetling, becomes one of her obsessions, and not only does he become a favorite client of sorts, he also helps her with her other obsession, sex.



The book takes place over an eight-month period, culminating shortly after the terrorist attacks of September 11th. It is interesting that the author chose this time period to parallel the life of Daisy Andalusia. It appears the author was making a statement, stating that the problems Daisy and her friends were having over this play they were creating, paled in comparison to the events of that fateful day.



But all in all, this book I found to be a bit too much. There was a lot of symbolism that I found too cryptic for my tastes, and although I think a different type of reader could have enjoyed this book, I couldn't get into it. I was disappointed and felt that it was a bit over my head, which I am very embarrassed to admit. I'm giving this book 3 stars, mostly for effort. If I had enjoyed it more, I would have bumped it up a notch.