Half life : a novel

A brilliant, disquieting first novel about a pair of conjoined twins who are deeply unhappy in each other's company. Nora, the dominant twin, is strong, funny, and deeply independent, thirsting for love and adventure. Blanche, by contrast, has been sleeping for nearly twenty years. Finally sick of carrying her sister's dead weight, Nora decides she wants her other half gone for good, so she leaves San Francisco for London in search of the mysterious Unity Foundation, which promises to make two one. And that one, of course, will be Nora -- Blanche will be mourned, but not missed. But once Nora arrives in London, her past begins to surface in surprising and disturbing ways, forcing her into a most reluctant voyage into memory. Something seems to be drawing Nora's thoughts back to the site of her rather unusual conception, birth, and childhood -- the reconstructed ghost town of Too Bad, Nevada, where lizards skitter across the playa and "Shootout at Noon" comes every day Cover Image......Page 1 Title Page......Page 3 Dedication Page......Page 4 Contents......Page 5 Part One: Boolean Operator: NOT......Page 11 Unity Foundation Release & Waiver......Page 13 Personal Statement......Page 15 Misconceptions......Page 20 The House of Voices......Page 26 Cell Division......Page 34 Seeing Double......Page 37 Mirrors & Lenses......Page 41 Too Bad......Page 48 Half Time......Page 51 Genesis......Page 59 Sister Double Happiness......Page 62 The Rose Towel......Page 70 Devil’s Food......Page 75 Lithobolia......Page 83 Shady Ladies......Page 87 Self-Help......Page 93 Amazon......Page 98 Venn......Page 103 The Dollhouse......Page 108 Uranium Daughters......Page 114 Accident-Prone......Page 123 Blink Twice......Page 127 Missing Something......Page 133 O......Page 137 Part Two: Boolean Operator: XOR......Page 143 Transitional Objects......Page 145 Time Camera......Page 152 On Murder......Page 157 Sadness......Page 163 Mushy Peas......Page 169 Dr. Goat......Page 175 Appointment......Page 179 Dead Animal Zoo......Page 187 One and a Half......Page 194 Hohokam Elementary School......Page 203 Museum of Childhood......Page 206 Library......Page 212 Myself My Own Fever......Page 215 House Divided......Page 220 The Dollhouse Redux......Page 224 Doom Town......Page 231 So you’re wondering about National Penitence?......Page 235 The Death & Burial of Cock Robin......Page 237 Beasts of Bodmin Moor......Page 247 A Funeral......Page 252 We Are All Twofers......Page 257 The Erasing Game......Page 266 R & R......Page 268 Box Girl......Page 273 Non Compos Mentis......Page 276 The White Snake......Page 284 The Divorce......Page 287 Cunt-Ass Cock-Pig......Page 291 Urn or Faces?......Page 297 Dirty Words......Page 306 Exposition......Page 310 The Librarian’s Assistant......Page 316 Pre-Op......Page 319 My Twinn......Page 326 Double Agent......Page 330 Reasonable Advice......Page 341 White as a Ghost......Page 346 Part Three: Boolean Operator: OR......Page 349 Dear Diary......Page 351 Cow......Page 386 Part Four: Boolean Operator: AND......Page 393 Going Home......Page 397 Donkey-Skin......Page 412 Ordinary Things......Page 417 Vanishing Twin Syndrome......Page 420 The Land of Thin Air......Page 426 Half Life......Page 435 Author’s Note......Page 449 About the Author......Page 451 Also by Shelley Jackson......Page 452 Credits......Page 453 Copyright Notice......Page 454 About the Publisher......Page 455 A brilliant, disquieting first novel about a pair of conjoined twins who are deeply unhappy in each other's company. Nora, the dominant twin, is strong, funny, and deeply independent, thirsting for love and adventure. Blanche, by contrast, has been sleeping for nearly twenty years. Finally sick of carrying her sister's dead weight, Nora decides she wants her other half gone for good, so she leaves San Francisco for London in search of the mysterious Unity Foundation, which promises to make two one. And that one, of course, will be Nora -- Blanche will be mourned, but not missed.But once Nora arrives in London, her past begins to surface in surprising and disturbing ways, forcing her into a most reluctant voyage into memory. Something seems to be drawing Nora's thoughts back to the site of her rather unusual conception, birth, and childhood -- the reconstructed ghost town of Too Bad, Nevada, where lizards skitter across the playa and "Shootout at Noon" comes every day. Searching for meaning and understanding in both her own and Blanche's past, Nora pushes herself to the brink of insanity -- and begins to question her own, and Blanche's, grip on the truth. Grotesque, funny, intricately wrought, verbally and conceptually dazzling, Shelley Jackson's first novel is an imaginative and touching portrait of two lives in a cleft world yearning for wholeness -- a world not unlike our own. "Half-Life is a novel about a pair of conjoined twins who are deeply unhappy in each other's company. Nora, the dominant twin, is strong, funny, and deeply independent, thirsting for love and adventure. Blanche, by contrast, has been sleeping for nearly twenty years. Finally sick of carrying her sister's dead weight, Nora decides she wants her other half gone for good, so she leaves San Francisco for London in search of the mysterious Unity Foundation, which promises to make two one. And that one, of course, will be Nora - Blanche will be mourned, but not missed." But once Nora arrives in London, her past begins to surface in surprising and disturbing ways, forcing her into a most reluctant voyage into memory. Something seems to be drawing Nora's thoughts back to the site of her rather unusual conception, birth, and childhood - the reconstructed ghost town of Too Bad, Nevada, where lizards skitter across the playa and "Shootout at Noon" comes every day. Searching for meaning and understanding in both her own and Blanche's past, Nora pushes herself to the brink of insanity - and begins to question her own, and Blanche's, grip on the truth. Shelley Jackson's first novel is an imaginative and touching portrait of two lives in a cleft world yearning for wholeness - a world not unlike our own. Nora and Blanche are conjoined twins. Nora is strong, funny, and deeply independent, thirsting for love and adventure. Blanche, by contrast, has been asleep for twenty years. Sick of carrying her sister's dead weight, Nora wants her other half gone for good--a desire that takes her from San Francisco to London in search of the Unity Foundation, a mysterious organization that promises to make two one. But once in England, Nora's past begins to surface in surprising and disturbing ways, pushing her to the brink of insanity and forcing her to question her own--and Blanche's--grip on the truth. Nora and Blanche are unhappily joined as conjoined twins. While Nora actively seeks adventure and excitement, the unhealthy Blanche spends her days sleeping. The twins agree to find the Unity Foundation in London that offers to perform separative surgery for them An Unhappy Conjoined Twin, Nora Wants To Rid Herself Of Her Attached Sister, Blanche, And Heads For London In Search Of A Mysterious Doctor Who Promises To Eliminate Blanche, But When She Arrives, Her Past Begins To Surface In Disturbing Ways. Shelley Jackson.