One Out of Two

One Out of Two by Daniel Sada, translated by Katherine Silver, 100 pages

Forty-something sisters Gloria and Constitucion Gamal are identical twins, with only an easily hidden birthmark distinguishing them. For their entire lives, they've embraced their similarity, wearing the same clothes, makeup and hairdo every day as they work together as tailors. But when a suitor emerges, they must determine the degree to which they are interchangeable.

While the story is intriguing, what makes this quirky short novel so fun and readable is how it's told. Sada presents the story as if he was telling it to a group of friends over a bottle or two of wine, and Silver does an excellent job of maintaining that feeling throughout. Through the telling, it's not easy to distinguish between the Gamal sisters, but that's kind of the point. It's a fun little story about sisterhood, and well worth the read.