Chang & Eng, by Darin Strauss (Allison & Busby, £9.99 in UK)

Imagine being a Siamese twin, intimately bound to another human being for every minute of your waking life: worse, imagine if that human being was unimaginative, lascivious and a bit over-fond of the drink. The dilemma is examined with almost clinical coolness in this extraordinary debut novel, based on the real-life story of the twins of the title. Chang and Eng were born in 1811 to a poverty-stricken Siamese fisherman, held virtual captives at the royal court for most of their childhood and finally exported to the US, where, after a stint as circus curiosities, they married a pair of Carolina sisters and settled to a life of farming in the American South. What everyone wants to know, of course, is "how . . . ?" but Strauss cleverly exploits the inescapable voyeurism of his subject as, gently but firmly, he concentrates on the "why". The result is a memorable and sometimes disturbing novel whose consummate stylishness makes the reader wonder what on earth Strauss will produce next.