The Two-Headed Lady at the End of the World By Mark Miller

Blurb By Polly Shattel, author of Shadowdays

Mark Miller's The Two-Headed Lady at the End of the World is an absurdist romp that ties together conjoined twins, mad gay love in underground nuclear bunkers, Yugos, sentient CPUs, the 1980s, and the tribulations of young romance when you're two girls in one body. With rock-solid prose, Miller's tale comes off like a direct descendant of Dr. Strangelove and Catch 22. And there's a distinctly subversive whiff of Terry Southern in there somehow. Maybe even a little Tom Wolfe at his unruly, pre-fiction best. The convolutions are many, and the jokes range from subtle to over the top. The robust, unpretentious prose never lets the story slip out of focus, and the sheer plenitude of imagination is stirring. This is brave writing by a brave mind.

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Review

*Received a copy of The Two-Headed Lady at the End of the World through BookSirens and am leaving this review voluntarily.

I haven’t read anything like this before; that’s a compliment and a truth! It was unexpectedly funny because I could read something out of pocket, explain the context, and you’d laugh in disbelief.

Miranda and Amanda pulled so many men at the end that I feel like I should’ve taken notes… I was impressed. I enjoyed reading about all the ups and downs of these characters’ romances. I laughed at every ridiculous problem that came up. It was silly, heartwarming, and sad. It was a treat to watch the twins go on weird dates, witness Man attempt to win a fax machine’s love, and snort at two soldiers watching porn together.

The story was more relatable than I expected too. When I read that it was part “eighties nostalgia trip,” I thought I’d get lost in references I didn’t understand, but it didn’t hurt my enjoyment of the story and there were still tidbits of info I nodded along to. And many of the characters’ experiences resonated with me, so time didn’t rain on my parade.

4.5 stars :) Thanks, author, this was a refreshing read <3