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Book Review of One Two Three

One Two Three
One Two Three
Author: Laurie Frankel
Genre: Literature & Fiction
Book Type: Hardcover
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One Two Three is the long-awaited novel of Laurie Frankel. I was excited to read this as I haven't yet read Ms. Frankel's highly acclaimed book This Is How It Always Is.

The setting is Bourne, a small community that filled with hope years ago when a new company built a plant and employed many residents. However, hope turned to shock, despair, and anguish when the company's chemical waste polluted the town's water supply, causing terminal illnesses in employees, residents, animals, and impacted an entire generation of children born during this time. Many died, and those who could moved.

Widowed Nora and her 16-year-old triplet daughters Mab, Monday, and Mirabel guide readers through their visit to Bourne. The sisters, often referred to as One, Two and Three to represent their birth order, represent the residents of Bourne: Mab is "normal" with no physical or cognitive disabilities; Monday has no physical disabilities and is on the autism spectrum; and Mirabel is cognitively brilliant and has significant physical disabilities. In the style of Erin Brockovich, Nora is the lone Bourne resident who tirelessly seeks evidence to support a lawsuit against the company.

This is the second novel I've recently enjoyed that featured the abilities of characters with disabilities rather than their limitations. (The other was How Lucky by Will Leitch) Kudos to these authors!

I highly recommend the audiobook narrated by Emma Galvin, Rebecca Soler, and Jesse Vilinsky. Each imparts a distinct personality to a sister beyond the words on the page. As an election employee, I appreciated the city election in the plot, and I absolutely loved everything about the ending!

Thank you to Henry Holt and Co., Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for review copies of this title; all opinions are my own.