After the novel and screen success of The Time Traveler’s Wife, Audrey Niffenegger’s much-anticipated second work, Her Fearful Symmetry, proves equally able to engross readers with unfailingly beautiful and emotional prose.

Set in London, the story traces the lives of American, 20 year-old twin sisters, Julia and Valencia, who mirror each other in body and ambition. Upon the tragic death of their unfamiliar and enigmatic aunt Elspeth from leukemia, the two find themselves bequeathed with money, an ornately furnished London flat and a secret that painfully alters relationships forever.

Characters with astute keenness and enlightening idiosyncrasies drive the plot, adding a welcomed touch of eccentricity and warmth. At the heart of the story lies Robert, Elspeth’s bereaved lover, a student who immerses himself in the lore of the historical Highgate Cemetery in search of connections to the past and hopes for the future. He develops a heart-wrenching and detrimental relationship with the compassionate and restless Valencia in a desperate attempt to recover the lost figment of his soul.

Martin, a neighbor, has severe obsessive compulsive disorder that has not only led to broken skin from frequent hand washing, but also to the driving away of his wife, his only pillar of stability and hope of normality. Martin’s story and grief, though a sub-plot, significantly parallels Robert’s internal conflicts and his efforts to retain the feelings and memories of Elspeth.

While the story is a tragic romance, elements of the paranormal, specifically the possibility of life after death, are encapsulated in the plot of Her Fearful Symmetry. Initially unbeknownst to Robert, Elspeth continues to reside in her apartment in spirit form, awaiting her departure or a distinct and enlightening revelation. Her presence arouses relationship tension and haunts the inhabitants with a generational secret responsible for the division of the most sacred of bonds, that between twin sisters.

Throughout the story, themes of psychological and physical disconnection arise with the characters struggling against earthly bounds to recover the deepest desires of their hearts.

Niffenegger also presents a profound commentary on the topic of empathy, the one attribute that not only allows individuals to live, but to live fully. All of her characters fight against the constraints of time and space to find and seek comfort with each other. With this, she creates a near-pantheistic view of the world and challenges the traditional Biblical sense of the afterlife as either resignation to “Heaven” or “Hell.” The importance of the human relationship is stressed, and the novel challenges the reader to assess the state of his or her own life.

At more than 400 pages in length, Her Fearful Symmetry is a fast-paced and thoroughly enjoyable read. However, the paranormal elements, though they add intrigue and insight, seem highly familiar and not altogether original. In comparison to Niffenegger’s first novel, The Time Traveler’s Wife, Her Fearful Symmetry allows readers to rediscover similar resonating themes and does not seem wholly unique. Despite its flaws, Niffenegger brings her readers an endearing and worthwhile tale of raw human emotion and the perils of lost love.