One

I read One several weeks ago but I have been having great difficulty writing this review. I really wanted to do justice to such a wonderful, powerful book that it was hard to put into words. I could have just written I love it again and again to fill the page, but that wouldn't be of much use to anyone else. I hope I have done it justice.

 

Title: One

Author: Sarah Crossan
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Publication date: August 2015
Format: Hardback
Source: Library copy

One is the story of Grace and Tippi, 16 year old conjoined twins who, in the words of Grace, have 'two heads, two hearts, two sets of lungs and kidneys, four arms and a pair of fully functioning legs'. When they walk they need crutches to support themselves. At the start of the book their mother tells them that they will be going to a private school, having been home schooled all their lives. At school they have to cope with the stares of other pupils, but they also make friends for the first time and Grace falls in love. It is also the story of their family who all have their own problems to deal with.

One is told in free verse from Grace's point of view and is written in the present tense. The book is presented as a series of poems, each with their own title, that, together, make a single story. A story that is so beautifully told that you want to read it again immediately. I found myself reading certain verses again and again. Writing a story in verse is a brave choice, because every word becomes so much more important, along with the breaks in between. I hadn't really thought about how powerful spaces between words are until I read this. It is also possible to repeat a phrase again and again which would just look wrong in prose. In One it is used to great effect and can be heartbreaking. This is such a beautiful book. I loved it so much that, having borrowed it from my local library, I have had to buy my own copy so that I can read it again in the future.