::Review:: The Foursome by Christina Baker Kline

People speak of getting over grief as if it were an illness, something time and patience might cure. But that is not how it works. Grief does not end. It shifts, settling into the crevices of your days. -Sallie Bunker, The Foursome by Christina Baker Kline

I had no idea that Christina Baker Kline was distantly related to the sisters who married the Bunker Twins. That must have made writing this book extra special. I seem to be on a historical fiction kick lately, and I think it must be said that while this is based on research, we need to remember the fiction aspect of it.

The main character of this novel is Sallie, the older daughter who eventually marries Eng. She’s not sure she wants to marry him, and even has doubts after just based on the experiences she has with him once they are married. Because when you marry one of the Bunker twins, you marry both of them, due to the conjoined nature of their bodies.

What follows is a look in pre- and post- Confederate live in North Carolina. A day to day historical look at what might have been. From the way the twins related to each other, their wives and families. I was shocked at how well this felt transcribed from what was most likely a long research period.

But something else that happens is the grief she faces when people pass. That quote above is about grief and it just hit me in the right way as I was reading it. For those who have ever been in it, it just makes sense.

Do you read historical fiction? Are you interested in this book? Does a particular historical period/setting make you want to read a book? Let me know in the comments below.