Chang and Eng by Darin Strauss
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.
'A deft fabrication' The Guardian 'Darin Strauss's exceptional first novel... a rare feat.' Financial Times 'Strauss writes movingly and perceptively from the heart of a man who has spent the first half of his life dreaming of freedom and the second craving an impossible romantic intimacy.' Daily Telegraph 'This is an assured and sweeping book...The novel grows and grows in stature. Never less than poignant, it becomes almost unbearably moving.' Frank Delaney Readfirst.com 'Strauss has taken the historical evidence and myths and turned them into something extraordinarily immediate... with sympathy, imagination and sharp writing, he has made it work rather well.' The Times
Darin Strauss is a graduate of the New York University creative writing programme. His work has appeared in GQ, Time Out, The New York Daily News, and The Aspen Times. He spent more than three years researching and writing Chang and Eng, which is his first novel.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780749005269 |
| ISBN 10 | 0749005262 |
| Title | Chang and Eng |
| Author | Darin Strauss |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Allison & Busby |
| Year published | 2001-09-10 |
| Number of pages | 348 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |