The Conjoined

A masterful and gripping novel from ñan undeniably talented writerî (Globe and Mail) On a sunny May morning, social worker Jessica Campbell sorts through her motherÍs belongings after her recent funeral. In the basement, she makes a shocking discovery „ two dead girls curled into the bottom of her motherÍs chest freezers. She remembers a pair of foster children who lived with the family in 1988: Casey and Jamie Cheng „ troubled, beautiful, and wild teenaged sisters from VancouverÍs Chinatown. After six weeks, they disappeared; social workers, police officers, and Jessica herself assumed they had run away. As Jessica learns more about Casey, Jamie, and their troubled immigrant Chinese parents, she also unearths dark stories about Donna, whom she had always thought of as the perfect mother. The complicated truths she uncovers force her to take stock of own life. Moving between present and past, this riveting novel unflinchingly examines the myth of social heroism and traces the often-hidden fractures that divide our diverse cities.