Excerpt from The Foursome by Christina Baker Kline, plus links to reviews, author biography & more

Unlike any joined twins before or since, however, Chang and Eng were entirely separate people linked only by a narrow band of cartilage just below their ribs. They were hale and agile, needing neither cane nor chair. They moved in harmony, ran with practiced ease, swam and hunted and fished like any other men. One Boston newspaper hailed them as the "eighth wonder of the world," declaring, "We have seen and examined this strange freak of nature. It is one of the greatest living curiosities we ever saw. The two boys are about five feet in height, of well-proportioned frames, strong and active, good natured, of pleasant countenances, intelligent and sensible."

* * *

At Epps General Store, Adelaide and I bought the penny papers that chronicled their lives in minute detail. We traded facts and stories about them like contraband. If Eng bit into a lemon, Chang winced at the sour taste. If Chang had a toothache, Eng's mouth ached. Tickling one made the other laugh. Poke one in his sleep, and both awoke.

Doctors reported that their hearts beat in unison.

But they didn't share everything. If one drank whiskey, the other remained sober. Whisper into Eng's ear, and Chang heard nothing. Both felt pain when pricked with a needle in the center of the band connecting them, but within half an inch to either side, only the nearer twin flinched.

They went to sleep at the same time and slept the same number of hours, but they dreamed different dreams.

The press was full of the legal and moral dilemmas their condition raised. If one twin was convicted of murder and sentenced to prison, would the other be wrongfully incarcerated? If one paid his train fare and the other did not, must both be barred from boarding?

Eng's letter on the subject was printed in a newspaper. If Chang committed a crime, he asked, "Must I go to prison with him? Having opposed his wicked design with all my might, am I required to attend his execution? I hope not. Whatever crime may be perpetuated by Chang, no one has any right to lay hands on me, so as to punish him."

* * *

Adelaide and I, dressed in our Sunday best, rode with our father in his black-topped carriage to the inn six miles from our farm, where the wedding and celebratory supper were to be held. It was a humid afternoon in early autumn; we passed hay waiting to be gathered, clumps of apples hanging heavy on trees, giant sunflowers drooping by the side of the road.

The twins had been living at the inn since they'd arrived in North Carolina, along with their friend and manager, Charles Harris. During that short period, Harris had become engaged to—and was now marrying—the innkeeper's daughter, Fanny. Addie and I had known Fanny since we were girls. And our brother, Alston, a merchant, had struck up a friendship with the twins after visiting their store. They'd done some land deals together and played cards every few weeks.

With each turn of the wheels, our anticipation grew. Soon, at last, we would lay eyes on the Siamese Double Boys.

* * *

Though a year and two months older than Adelaide, I had never truly felt like her older sister. Her ambitions were larger than mine, her opinions stronger. Since we were little, she believed fate had misplaced her in our small town and that one day the error would be set right.

Addie possessed the self-assurance of the beautiful. She was used to being seen, and it made her bold about being heard. She assumed people cared what she had to say, so she rarely hesitated to speak. She didn't even realize this was a privilege.

I inherited our mother's round cheeks, her solid bones and small gray eyes, her unruly auburn hair. Addie took after Papa's family: tall and lean, with dark-fringed lashes and high cheekbones. She shone in contrast to my ordinariness. She was charming while I was shy.

Excerpted from The Foursome by Christina Baker Kline. Copyright © 2026 by Christina Baker Kline. Excerpted by permission of Mariner Books. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.