The novel focuses on Zoe and Anna, who are twins, but not just ordinary twins, but monochorionic, monoamniotic twins. Monoamniotic twins are identical twins that share the same amniotic sac within their mother’s uterus. Monoamniotic twins are always identical, always monochorionic and are usually termed Monoamniotic-Monochorionic (“MoMo” or “Mono Mono”) twins. They also share the placenta, but have two separate umbilical cords. Monoamniotic twins develop when an embryo does not split until after formation of the amniotic sac, at about 9-13 days after fertilization.
Anna meets Nick through a dating website, and when “Zoe” starts checking on him, she realises that he also has an account in other websites like Tinder. Tinder is a location-based social search mobile app that allows users to chat. The app is most commonly used as a dating app or hookup app, but it also has services, making it a social media application too. Matching is based on Facebook and Spotify profiles.
One of the people who regularly goes to Anna’s centre is Ivan who has Tourette syndrome. Tourette syndrome (TS or simply Tourette’s) is a common neuropsychiatric disorder with onset in childhood, characterised by multiple motor tics and at least one vocal (phonic) tic. These tics characteristically wax and wane, can be suppressed temporarily, and are typically preceded by an unwanted urge or sensation in the affected muscles. Some common tics are eye blinking, coughing, throat clearing, sniffing, and facial movements.
Nick’s parents are from Bath, a town I love. For me Bath is one of the most beautiful towns in England. Bath is the largest city in the ceremonial county of Somerset, known for its Roman-built baths. Bath is in the valley of the River Avon, 156 km west of London and 18 km south-east of Bristol.
When Nick first meets “Zoe”, she is staying in room 101, and she makes a reference to room 101 in 1984 by George Orwell. Room 101, introduced in the climax of the novel, is the basement torture chamber in the Ministry of Love, in which the Party attempts to subject a prisoner to his or her own worst nightmare, fear or phobia, with the object of breaking down their resistance. The nightmare of the protagonist Winston Smith is to be attacked by rats. This is manifested in Room 101 by confronting Smith with a wire cage that contains two large rats. The front of the cage is shaped so that it can fit over a person’s face. A trap-door is then opened, allowing the rats to devour the victim’s face. This cage is fitted over Smith’s face, but he saves himself by begging the authorities to let his lover, Julia, suffer this torture instead of him. The threatened torture, and what Winston does to escape it, breaks his last promise to himself and to Julia: never to betray her. The book suggests that Julia is likewise subjected to her own worst fear (although it is not revealed what that fear is), and when she and Winston later meet in a park, he notices a scar on her forehead. The intent of threatening Winston with the rats was to force him into betraying the only person he loved and therefore to break his spirit.
Anna’s parents live in Bridgeport. Bridgeport is a seaport city in the U.S. state of Connecticut.
