Born in 1811, joined at the chest and sharing a stomach, Chang and Eng were the original Siamese twins. This is their amazing story - a story that follows them from the royal court of Siam, through their working lives as the most famous freaks in the world and finally to small-town America where they fall in love, marry sisters and father 21 children! The tale is told by Eng looking back over his life in the hours between his brother's death and his own inevitable demise. Exploited and exalted, and encountering everyone from royalty to the infamous Barnum; the twins have led a truly intriguing life. Set against the backdrop of America's Civil War, the novel raises many interesting ideas about individuality, union and separation. Darin Strauss has produced an eye-opening and thought-provoking novel that goes beyond voyeurism to provide real insight into the unusual life of the twins.