About book Alva & Irva: The Twins Who Saved A City (2003)
I learned about Edward Carey from his wife's memoir An Exact Replica of a Figment of my Imagination. My curiosity was piqued and I went to look him up after I finished it. I was interested in reading his book Observatory Mansions but all our library system had was Alva & Irva: The Twins Who Saved a City. I decided to give it a go, even though it looked kind of science-fictionesque. It wasn't though, really. Even though Entralla was a fictional place, it felt real. As if someday, wandering the earth, I could stumble across it and walk along the streets that Alva and Irva so painstakingly reproduced in plasticine. (I would, of course, take a copy of "Alva and Irva...etc." with me [making sure to flaunt it] so I could get discounts at all those restaurants Alva mentioned.) Yet it was not completely realistic, still having an otherworldly element, a trace of something you can't find on pragmatic Earth.Twins in literature are one of my favourite things since their portrayals are generally very fascinating. Alva and Irva were no exception; they are certainly an excellent addition to the world of literary twins. They were naturally flawed, odd, but sympathetic characters. Being a homebody, I could feel Irva's pain. But yet I still empathized with Alva, who wanted nothing more than the world. (There was a bit in the middle where I felt Alva was too cruel and Irva too complacent, but that passed.)This is one of the most creative books I have read in a while. It was a little strange but also touching. Edward Carey is a lovely writer.(P.S. I don't know if its possible to get plasticine in the U.S., but I find myself wanting some really bad right now...! The inclusion of the pictures of the plasticine sculptures was so cool too! That's probably one thing that helped it all seem so real.)
Alva and Irva are inseparable, identical twins with different personalities. Irva is introverted, Alva more outgoing. The twins, who come from a family of post office employees, reside in Entralla, a historic and picturesque though largely ignored city, which only has one guidebook.Our narrator Alva outlines her and her twin’s childhood, including their time at school and life at home with their somewhat neurotic mother. We learn of their various escapades, details of their bizarre relationship, and their remarkable rate of growth. Both Irva and Alva stand six feet two inches tall when fully grown.As they mature, Alva longs for a sense of identity, and Irva becomes so introverted that she refuses to leave the house. It is during this period that Alva goes out into the city and observes and takes measurements of what she sees. She reports these findings to Irva, who then meticulously constructs their city out of Plasticine. Later a momentous event brings their creation to the public’s attention.The book contains a map of Entralla, detailed footnotes and photographs of the twins’ Plasticine monuments at the beginning of each chapter.Alva & Irva is a quaint and quirky novel whose themes include twinship and loneliness. Although many will no doubt consider it enchanting and endearing, this reader found it to be a tepid, distinctly average and one-sided book that largely ignores Irva.
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A hybrid travel guide (of the fictional city of Entralla) plus autobiography (of the fictional twin, Alva). As Goodreads reviewer Julia said, "major points for innovation"... but beyond that, these characters didn't move me very much. Maybe it was the name of the city (sounds too much like "entrails") or the frequent misuse of the word "bare" (as in, "he couldn't bare to..."). Mostly, it was the lopsidedness of the narration. Everything is told from Alva's point of view; Irva is reduced to a hysterical recluse.
—Sarah
