In a powerful and daring debut novel, Sonya Mukherjee shares the story of sisters Clara and Hailey, conjoined twins who are learning what it means to be truly extraordinary.Seventeen-year-old conjoined twins Clara and Hailey have lived in the same small town their entire lives—no one stares at them anymore. But there are cracks in their quiet existence, and they’re slowly becoming more apparent. Clara and Hailey are at a crossroads. Clara wants to stay close to home, avoid all attention, and study the night sky. Hailey wants to travel the world, learn from great artists, and dance with mysterious boys. As high school graduation approaches, each twin must untangle her dreams from her sister’s, and figure out what it means to be her own person.
Told in alternating perspectives, this unconventional coming-of-age tale shows how dreams can break your heart—but the love between sisters can mend it.
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Playlist
Playlist
Gemini has two
protagonists – Clara and Hailey, identical twins who are conjoined, but who
have very different interests and personalities. When I thought about putting
together a playlist for the book, I realized that it didn’t make sense to try
to squeeze both girls into one list. They each needed their own.
Clara loves astronomy and stargazing, and that’s what
this playlist is all about. I looked for songs that not only related to those
topics, but also shared a certain mellow mood – the kind of music that Clara would
want to listen to while leaning her head back against Hailey’s and gazing up at
the late-night sky.
“Under the Milky Way,” The Church
This is one of my all-time favorite songs. Sure, Clara
might quibble about the fact that we’re really in the Milky Way, not under
it, but I think she would agree that this music perfectly evokes the tranquil
beauty of looking up into a clear night sky, far away from any city lights, and
allowing yourself to be awed by that incredible view of our galaxy.
“Bright,” Echosmith
The first time I heard “Bright” on the radio, I
immediately thought of Clara and Max, the cute new boy at school who shares
Clara’s interest in astronomy. After all, it’s a love song about seeing
shooting stars and being dazzled by constellations together. That’s Clara’s
love language.
“Across the Universe,” The Beatles
One of the great Beatles songs. Not only does it touch on
the theme of traveling through the universe (albeit abstractly), but there’s
that refrain of “nothing’s gonna change my world,” which sounds so certain, but
can never really be true for anyone. I can almost imagine Clara clinging to
this line as Hailey tries to convince her to change almost everything about the
world they share.
“Starlight,” Muse
The lyrics were probably intended metaphorically, but if
you take them literally, this could be a song about traveling far into outer space,
perhaps toward a distant planet, and far from everything and everyone you’ve
ever known – what Clara most longs for, and what she most dreads.
“(Let’s Kiss) While All the Stars Are Falling Down,”
Hammock
I mean, obviously, yes. Let’s do that.
“Walking on the Moon,” The Police
Clara dreams of seeing the Earth from space, making
contact with life on another planet, and yes, walking on the moon. You think
the lyrics are really about how it feels to fall in love? Well, how do you
think it would feel to fall in love while also walking on the actual, literal moon?
“Meteorites,” LIGHTS
It’s about meteorites, which are among Clara’s passions,
and it’s also about seeing greater heights. Clara might fear that, but she
wants it, too.
“I Wish I Was the Moon,” Neko Case
This is a sad song, but it also has a lovely wistful
feeling. I can imagine Clara listening to it while she looks up at the full
moon, connecting with it so strongly that she can even imagine being the moon.
“Leave the Planet,” Galaxie 500
Impromptu trip to outer space? Yes! Sounds like an ideal
Friday night date.
“Underneath the Stars,” The Cure
You could get lost in the stars while listening to this
song, couldn’t you? It’s romantic and dreamy, like something you could float
away on.
“I Took a Ship on a Gemini Spaceship,” David Bowie
OK, this one doesn’t quite fit with the other songs, but
it’s about a GEMINI SPACESHIP. I could not pass that up.
ABOUT SONYA MUKHERJEE:
I grew up in California’s Gold Country, where I spent a lot of time sitting in trees, reading books and writing stories in my head. Now I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, where I spend a lot of time sitting in coffee shops, reading books and writing stories on my laptop. I like to play board games with my husband and kids, watch the kids' soccer games, and scare them with my terrible dancing.
Giveaway:
3 Finished Copies of GEMINI (US Only) a Rafflecopter giveaway
Tour Schedule:
Week 1:
7/18: YA Reads - Q&A
7/22: Readwritelove28 - Top 10
Week 2:
Fun post today! I love how you added to the book's meaning with music.
ReplyDeleteGemini sounds like a good read ♡ Thank you
ReplyDeleteI love thinking about book characters as if they are real people. Thanks for making the playlist!
ReplyDeleteDianna