She describes feeling like she was unable to connect with other students, and how her gender identity has shifted during her lifetime.
Latos writes on her blog that she based Clare and Audrey’s experiences partially on things she felt growing up. But as Clare becomes more confident in her own identity, and Audrey does as well, they begin to reconcile with each other. Clare blames Audrey for his death and resents all of the ways her parents seem to drop everything to make sure Audrey is okay, neglecting her in the process. Since Adam’s death after an accident on his way to pick up Audrey, the twins’ relationship has been strained. It’s unclear if this is in order to keep her character more relatable to all neurodivergent people or if it’s to reflect the difficulties many people experience with receiving a diagnosis in real life. However, Audrey never receives a specific diagnosis. While reading, I interpreted Audrey as exhibiting symptoms of both autism and ADHD because I recognized some of my own symptoms in her character. This takes a few chapters to acclimate to, but it fits with the unique way Audrey sees and interacts with the world. She’s a role in the movie of my life.” Clare begins wearing Adam’s old clothes, realizing she feels much more comfortable expressing herself like that.Īudrey’s POV is jarring initially because she doesn’t use quotation marks. Clare says of her experiences “… that girl downstairs, the one who yelled about wanting to be like every other teenage girl… she doesn’t really exist. Her femininity, and by extension her popularity become a cage for Clare.
But in Under Shifting Stars, Latos successfully makes Audrey and Clare distinct and recognizable, allowing her to fully explore the experiences of each twin as they tell the story from their perspectives.Īt the start of Under Shifting Stars, Clare constructs her identity largely on her popularity, which is based on the way she presents as traditionally feminine. Alternating POV can be difficult to pull off successfully if the characters don’t have distinct voices.
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