First Person Plural

In this stunning novel Andrew W.M. Beierle brings to life characters at once unthinkably foreign and utterly real. Frank and fearless sexy and witty First Person Plural is a masterfully rendered powerfully imaginative work as complex and as extraordinary as the bonds of love. <P> Owen and Porter Jamison are conjoined twins inhabiting one body with two heads one torso and two very different hearts. As children they're seen as a single entity--Owenandporter or more often Porterandowen. As they grow to adulthood their differences become more pronounced: Porter is outgoing and charismatic while Owen is cerebral and artistic. When Porter becomes a high school jock hero complete with cheerleader girlfriend a greater distinction emerges as Owen gradually comes to realize that he's gay. <P> Owen a reluctant romantic is content at first to settle for unrequited crushes. Porter's unease with his brother's sexuality leaves Owen feeling increasingly alienated from his twin especially when Porter falls in love with Faith and Owen becomes the unwilling third side of a complicated love triangle. When Owen finally begins to explore his own desires the rift grows deeper. <P> As Porter and Owen's carefully balanced arrangement of give-and-take sacrifice and selfishness is irrevocably shattered each twin is left fighting for his relationship--and his future--in a battle of wills where winning seems impossible and losing unthinkable. . . <P> <B>Andrew W. M. Beierle</B> has been a journalist for more than thirty years. He has studied at the Bread Loaf Sewanee Napa Valley and <I>Kenyon Review</I> writers' workshops.