Sisterland

For identical twins, Kate and Violet are about as unlike as two peas from the same pod can be. Except in one respect – they share a hidden gift they call ‘the Senses’, a special kind of intuition that can allow them to see things that are yet to come. After Kate inadvertently reveals their secret when they are thirteen years old, they are set on diverging paths into their adult lives.

Twenty years later Kate is a suburban housewife who suppresses her premonitions in the hope of leading a normal family life, while Violet lives alone and works as a psychic medium. Then one day Violet ignites a media storm by predicting a major earthquake in the St Louis area where they live.

As the day Violet has announced for the earthquake draws nearer, the sisters must grapple with the legacy of the past, the confusion of the present, and the unsettling glimpses they both have of the future.

Curtis Sittenfeld is the author of the word-of-mouth bestseller American Wife. Her first novel, Prep, was a New York Times bestseller and was shortlisted for the Orange Prize. It was followed by The Man of My Dreams . Her books are translated into 25 languages. She is married, with two young children. Visit her website, www.curtissittenfeld.com