A long semester has just begun, and what did I do my second weekend of class? Polish off another book. I have different reasons for reading the books I do. Sometimes it is at the recommendation of a friend or family member. Other times it is due to the publicity the book receives or the movie that has been made from it. When I began "The Girls," an entirely different interest motivated me; it was the subject of conjoined twins.

On May 10, Mateo and McHale Shaw were born in Sheboygan, joined at the lower back with conjoined spinal columns. Just shy of their four-month mark, the boys were strong enough to undergo the surgery that would hopefully separate them. On Sept. 7, a team of more than 50 medical workers assisted in what ended up being a 12 and a half hour-long surgery and the boys' successful separation.

The story of Mateo and McHale was fresh in my mind when I picked up "The Girls," written by Lori Lansens. This novel is the story of conjoined twins who share a fate much different than that of the Shaw twins. Rose and Ruby Darlen are craniopagus twins, meaning they are connected at the head. Due to the fact that they share a vital mess of blood vessels, there is no possibility of separation.

The twins' birth, in the wake of a freak tornado in 1974, receives national attention from news media. Their young mother is unable to handle her situation and abandons her daughters, much to the happiness of Nurse Darlen, who has already fallen in love with the girls. Deciding that their tiny town outside of Toronto is still too big of a place to raise Rose and Ruby, Aunt Lovey and Uncle Stash leave their bungalow in the city to live in an old farm house in the country.

Aunt Lovey and Uncle Stash raise their girls to be self-sufficient and, naturally, very good at compromising and sharing. These are qualities most parents want to see in their children, but for Rose and Ruby it is a matter of survival.

Written entirely from the sisters' points of view, what is meant to be Rose's autobiography and legacy becomes much more, as the girls reflect on not just their past and present and the many experiences they have shared, but the thoughts and wishes they have kept to themselves. Because, although they figuratively share a heart, they are two separate women living a life few can even imagine.

Since the age of 14, Rose intended to write a novel, but it is not until she is nearly 30 years old that she finally begins. When her sister protests that it cannot be merely Rose's story — since so much of their lives have been intertwined — Rose encourages Ruby to write her own chapters to include in the work.

Rose, who has previous literary experience, takes special consideration for everything she puts down and knows that the way a book is written and presented affects how people read and feel about it. With this knowledge, she begins with the sentence, "I have never looked into my sister's eyes." Her style is very reflective and through Rose's chapters, we learn about her and her sister's birth, childhood and later life through her own memories, and through recounting stories told by their parents. As a writer, her chapters are very detailed and descriptive, but at times a bit removed from the moment.

Ruby on the other hand has no training at all and chooses to write hers as if she were writing a letter to a friend; however, she also wears the proverbial heart on her sleeve as she tells their story. She often speaks more in the present than her sister, talking about day-to-day happenings and chiding her sister for one thing or another, as sisters tend to do.

Another interesting aspect to this story is that neither sister is allowed to read the other's work. There are times when Rose or Ruby assumes her sister has already written on a topic. Sometimes you will read the same story twice, but get a very different picture painted, depending on who wrote which version and how much the author wanted to reveal about her self.

Rose and Ruby demonstrate through their memories and stories the many heartbreaking events and struggles they have gone through to get to the place they are in. The strength exhibited by these girls through their writing is undeniable. The fact that their lives and deaths are linked together and the abilities they have to know what the other is feeling without even seeing the other's eyes, and the overwhelming love they have for each other, evokes an emotion only available to those who read the account.

"The Girls" is an intriguing novel because it is written from a new and very unconventional person's point of view — through tales of their emotional and medical struggles. Rose and Ruby provide readers with a chance to take a look at a very different situation from what they are accustomed to.

As a screenwriter, author Lori Lansens knows the importance of character development, but for a story to unfold in a person's mind versus the screen is very different. The fact that she is able to produce two entirely distinct voices for her characters and make them, for the most part, believable, is a testament to her abilities as a novelist.