Book Review
Title: This Body’s Not Big Enough for Both of Us by Edgar Cantero
Genre: Comedy, Thriller, Noir
Rating: 5 Stars
I read Meddling Kids a while ago and loved it so I had to check out more of Cantero’s work and the synopsis of this one really stood out to me. We are introduced to A & Z Kimrean who seem to be conjoined twins or something along those lines as they are in police custody explaining a shooting that has gone down. What follows is the most Who Framed Roger Rabbit plot line that ever existed and it honestly had me cracking it. It basically involved a fight between a mobster wanting money from them, mid-battle a client turns out who they deal with before resuming the shootout which was hilarious.
The pair aren’t conjoined twins as I thought but have a form of genetic chimerism meaning there are essentially twins within one body, they even share a brain. However, Adrian controls one half and Zooey the other which leads to some hilarious moments early on. Adrian is definitely the more intelligent and analytical twin while Zooey is hyperactive and more than a little crazy and this dynamic leads to so much dark humour that I was laughing out loud most of the time. The pair end up being asked to help a cop named Danny who is on an undercover mission in the biggest drug cartel. The cartel’s youngest son was killed recently and they believe it to be the gang they were negotiating with which has them on the brink of war.
Out of the twins, Zooey definitely doesn’t want to get involved but she ends up being taken along for the ride but she definitely makes her presence known. After a little while it is easy to distinguish who is in control even when both halves seem to be working in unison. Upon arriving Adrian seems to think it is the Japanese as does Zooey but evidence contradicting that soon emerges. The shenanigans the pair get up are amazing and watching the other characters, especially those unfamiliar with the twins try and figure out what is wrong with them was brilliant. However, the twins never agree on anything and more often than not are fighting for control of the one body they share which often gets them into trouble.
During their time with Danny, they realise that the FBI bugged the house without telling them and might have caught the murder happening. Danny does make a mistake her in letting slip he is a cop in the presence of the granddaughter of the cartel leader but she decides to keep his secret for the meantime. This girl, Ursula ends up forming a friendship with Zooey although she dislikes Adrian. Shortly after this the cartel’s middle son is also killed and Adrian is now sure that it is a personal vendetta not a mob hit. He gets to this conclusion fairly easily especially after hearing the tapes which imply that Mickey was familiar with his killer and it was someone who had access to the villa and nightclub where the sons were murdered.
After this the story becomes so unhinged it was hilarious, from the mystery elements being racked up to 11 and the it hits almost every cliché in the book while taking the piss out of those cliches. The reveals that come about the relationship between Adrian and Zooey as well as their relationship with people like Gwen, Ursula and Danny are amazing and give some incredible depth to these characters. The mystery element of the story seems to be where most of the comedy comes in with twists, turns, mistakes and realisations that take the story down several different paths before bringing it to one of the best conclusions I have ever read. Cantero definitely knows how the create and flesh out some of the best characters I have ever read from and this coupled with the unique writing style of the novel, for which I highly recommend the audiobook, creates something truly unique. If you haven’t read it then definitely pick it up if you are in the mood for something fast paced, unique, hilarious and emotional all at once.
Buy it here:
Paperback/Hardcover: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
Kindle Edition: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
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