2025-02-16
In Workman’s YA debut, three identical conjoined sisters overcome bullying to compete in a televised talent competition.
In 1978, 16-year-olds Elliana (Ellie), Bellamona (Mona) and Gabriella (Gabby) Banfear are the world’s only documented conjoined triplets. Their mother abandoned them as babies, so they live with their father Benson—a polyglot who works long hours as a translator—and their Great Pyrenees dog BeeGee. The triplets are talented seamstresses, singers, and instrumentalists, and achieve top grades at Hollywood High. They are relentlessly bullied, however, by classmate Twyla-Violet Higgins, who achieved brief fame as an 8-year-old actor and now fronts a band called Empress that has made it to the finals of the teen edition of the TV talent showYour Shooting Star. While Benson often addresses his daughters by the collective hypocorism “Papilio” (Latin for butterfly), Twyla-Violet has popularized the pejorative “Caterpillar,” inspired by the shuffling movement the sisters make to pass through doorways. Her enmity appears relentless…and only goes up a notch when one of Empress’ rivals, the Bee Gees tribute band Boogie Children, has to replace its lead singer and invites Papilio to join them for the finals. The Banfear triplets are huge Bee Gees fans, and they are thrilled to make friends with 15-year-old lead guitarist Michael Thompson and his younger brothers Robbie, Jason, and Brian. They also see appearing onYour Shooting Star as a chance to track down their absent mother, either through a direct appeal on national television or, if by some miracle they win the contest, by using their share of the prize money to hire a private investigator. Only three things stand in their way: their own self-doubt, Twyla-Violet (backed by her overbearing father/manager Edward), and the fact that Benson won’t let them perform on the show. Ellie forges Benson’s signature; Gabby impersonates him on the phone; and the sisters even stand up to Twyla-Violet. But will their deceptions come back to haunt them?
Workman writes in the third person, narrating mostly from Papilio’s perspective with straightforward, effective prose. The writing’s only real flaw is a weakness for stilted expository monologues: “I’m struggling to meet this tough deadline, but I’m enjoying translating this Spanish novel into English. It’s an exciting spy story set during the Spanish-American War but a very long book that also needs editing. It’s a tough dual job.” Off-key verbalizations aside, the triplets emerge as an inspiring collective protagonist, distinct in their individual personalities but united in shared virtues such as positivity, thoughtfulness, determination, compassion, and willingness to forgive. To the author’s credit, the sisters also exhibit less salubrious tendencies (mendacity, rash imprudence) and are called out for these, such as when Michael berates Mona for Papilio involving Twyla-Violet’s mother and little sister in their retaliation scheme. The result is a nuance of characterization that extends to Benson, whose love for his children has led him to lie to them and act most reprehensibly. The realistic balancing of character traits elevates the triplets’ tale from a simple feel-good triumph to something more long-lasting and affecting. While Twyla-Violet’s bullying has the potential to be triggering, the plot is more than just a repudiation. The story is well paced and, though it follows a predictable line, unfolds with enough surprises to keep YA readers on their toes and rooting for a favorable outcome.
An emotionally charged exploration of family and identity.
