The Foursome by Christina Baker Kline

June 18, 2026

The Foursome by Christina Baker Kline

After touring Europe and the large cities of North America, celebrated conjoined twins Chang and Eng Bunker decided to settle down in a small town in North Carolina. They soon bought land, built a fine house, and opened a general store. Wealthy and educated, the only things missing from their lives were wives and children. They met Adelaide and Sarah Yates, a pair of sisters from a local family with a questionable history. Addie was fascinated by the brothers and immediately decided to marry Chang. She convinced her sister that marrying Eng was the only way to redeem past mistakes and the only way that Addie would be able to marry Chang.

Eng and Chang Bunker were the first pair of conjoined twins to find international fame. Born in Siam (now Thailand), they were the source of the now-obsolete expression Siamese Twins. Their lives were well documented, and the two sisters who married them were distant cousins of the author. Not only did Chang and Eng marry, they went on to father 21 children (!) between them. After their deaths, an autopsy determined that they were joined at the liver, and it would have been impossible to separate them during their lifetime. Today this type of surgery would have been possible and most conjoined twins are successfully separated. I highly recommend this fascinating look at two unique families and the times they lived in.

Chang and Eng Bunker