You ever pick up a book and realize within ten pages that your heart is going to be slightly bruised by the time you hit the acknowledgments? That is exactly what happens when you crack open One Two Three. Laurie Frankel has this uncanny, almost frustrating ability to write about heavy, systemic tragedy while making you laugh at a teenager’s internal monologue. It’s a weird balance. It shouldn't work, honestly. But in the fictional town of Bourne, where the water turned green and the local kids started being born "different" because of a chemical company's negligence, it works perfectly.
Bourne is a place defined by what it lost.
Sixteen years before the story kicks off, Penn Valley Capital moved in, poisoned the river, and moved out. They left behind a trail of cancer, disability, and a town that literally stopped growing. Now, we meet the Mitchell triplets: One, Two, and Three. Or, more accurately, Mab, Monday, and Mirabel. They are the heart of the One Two Three book, and they are each dealing with the town’s legacy in their own visceral way.
The Mitchell Triplets Aren't Your Standard YA Protagonists
Most stories about "miracle" triplets focus on how they’re identical. Frankel flips that. These girls couldn't be more different if they tried, yet they are tethered by a shared trauma they weren't even conscious for.
Mab is "the normal one," at least on paper. She wants out. She’s studying for the SATs, dreaming of a life where "Bourne" isn't the first thing people notice about her resume. Then there’s Monday. Monday is on the autism spectrum, obsessed with the town's library and the truth. She only drinks yellow liquids. She’s the town’s memory. If a fact exists about the 1997 chemical spill, Monday has it filed away in her brain.
Then we have Mirabel.
Mirabel is arguably the most brilliant of the three, but the world sees her wheelchair and her communication device before they see her mind. She’s non-verbal, using a "voice" to speak, and her chapters are some of the most moving prose I’ve read in years. She sees everything. While the rest of the town is busy trying to survive or forget, Mirabel is calculating the cost of what was taken.
The narrative voice shifts between the three of them. It’s dizzying. It’s fast. One minute you’re in Mab’s teenage angst, and the next you’re deep in Mirabel’s complex, architectural observations of the world. It mimics the chaos of a house with three teenagers and a single mother—Nora—who has spent seventeen years trying to sue the company that broke her town.
Why Bourne Feels So Real (And Why That’s Terrifying)
Frankel didn't just invent a tragedy out of thin air. While Bourne is fictional, the echoes of Flint, Michigan, or the real-life "Cancer Alley" in Louisiana are loud. Very loud.
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The One Two Three book hits hard because it explores environmental racism and corporate greed without feeling like a dry lecture. You see the consequences in the "special" kids at school. You see it in the way the townspeople talk about the "before times." When a new family moves into the old, grand house on the hill—the family of the man who ran the company—the town doesn't just get angry. It vibrates.
It’s a David vs. Goliath story, but David is three teenage girls and Goliath has better lawyers.
There’s a specific nuance here regarding disability. Frankel, who has written beautifully about complex family dynamics before (like in This Is How It Always Is), treats disability not as a plot point to be "fixed," but as a reality to be navigated. Mirabel doesn't need a cure; she needs a world that actually listens to her. Monday doesn't need to "act normal"; she needs people to realize her "obsessions" are actually the keys to uncovering a massive cover-up.
The Return of Penn Valley
The plot really starts moving when the Mitchells realize the chemical company might be coming back. They aren't just here to say sorry. They want the water rights.
It’s a classic trope, sure. But the way the sisters investigate—using a mix of old library records, teenage social engineering, and Mirabel’s high-tech observations—feels modern and grounded. You’ve got this town that is desperate for jobs and money, pitted against the very people who poisoned them. It’s a mess. People are complicated. Some neighbors want the money. Others want blood.
Nora, the triplets' mom, is the warrior archetype we all recognize. She’s tired. She’s been fighting the same battle since her daughters were in utero. Watching her navigate the return of the enemy while trying to keep her daughters from making the same mistakes she did is heart-wrenching. She’s a reminder that activism isn't a one-time protest; it’s a lifelong, exhausting grind.
The Writing Style: Love It or Hate It?
Let's be real. Frankel’s style is... specific.
She uses a lot of repetition. A lot. She repeats phrases to build rhythm. Sometimes it feels like poetry. Sometimes it feels like a song you can't get out of your head. For some readers, this is the magic of the One Two Three book. It creates a sensory experience that matches the triplets' interconnected lives. For others, it might feel a bit stylistic.
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But honestly? It works for this story. The repetition mirrors the repetitive nature of life in a small town. The same stories. The same tragedies. The same hope that, maybe this time, things will change.
The sentence lengths are all over the place. Short. Punchy. Then long, winding thoughts that take up half a page. It’s human. It’s how we actually think, especially when we’re sixteen and the world is on fire.
Small Towns and Big Secrets
One of the best parts of the book is the town of Bourne itself. It’s a character.
You have the "Closet," a local shop that plays a huge role in the girls' lives. You have the local school where the "special" bus is just the regular bus because so many kids were affected by the water. Frankel captures that claustrophobic feeling of a town where everyone knows your business, your medical history, and exactly what your mother said at the town hall meeting last Tuesday.
There is a sub-plot involving a boy, because of course there is. But even the romance feels tinged with the town's history. Can you love someone whose family destroyed yours? It sounds like Shakespeare, but in the context of a modern environmental thriller, it feels much more urgent.
What This Book Teaches Us About Advocacy
If you’re looking for a neat, happy ending where everything is fixed with a magic wand, you’re reading the wrong author.
One Two Three is about the cost of truth. It’s about the fact that even when you win, you don’t always get back what you lost. The water in Bourne might eventually run clear, but the people who died stay dead. The disabilities caused by the toxins don't just vanish.
The actionable takeaway from the Mitchell sisters is pretty simple:
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- Documentation is power. Monday’s archives are what ultimately give the girls leverage. In the real world, keeping receipts matters.
- Voice looks different for everyone. Mirabel’s "voice" is just as valid as Mab’s literal shouting. We have to learn to listen to the people who are usually ignored.
- Community is the only defense. The girls succeed because they work as a unit—One, Two, Three. Alone, they’re just kids. Together, they’re a force of nature.
How to Approach Reading One Two Three
If you haven't picked it up yet, go in expecting a blend of a thriller, a family drama, and a social commentary.
Don't rush through Mirabel's chapters. They’re the densest, but they’re also the most rewarding. Pay attention to the way the town talks about the "incident." It’s a masterclass in how language is used to hide corporate crimes.
One Two Three is a long read, but it doesn't feel like it. It’s a book that stays with you, making you look a little more closely at the water in your own tap and the "charitable" corporations in your own backyard.
Final Thoughts for the Avid Reader
If you’ve finished the book and are looking for what’s next, or if you’re just trying to process that ending, think about the theme of legacy. The Mitchell sisters are living proof that we are more than what happened to us. They are a "tragedy" by the town's definition, but they are a triumph by their own.
To get the most out of your reading experience:
- Research real-life environmental cases. Look into the history of the Love Canal or the ongoing issues in West Virginia with DuPont. It adds a layer of terrifying reality to Frankel's fiction.
- Listen to the audiobook. The narrators for the three sisters are incredible and really help distinguish the shifting perspectives.
- Check out Frankel’s other work. If you liked the family dynamics here, This Is How It Always Is explores similar themes of protection, secrets, and unconditional love.
The reality is that stories like Bourne are happening everywhere. We just don't always have the Mitchell triplets there to shine a light on them.
Next Steps for Readers
- Audit your local history: Most towns have an "old mill" or "closed factory." Take an hour to look into what actually happened there and how it affected the local water table.
- Support disability advocacy: Look into organizations like the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) to understand the real-world versions of the barriers Mirabel faces.
- Join a book club discussion: This book is practically built for debate. Use the triplets' different perspectives to talk about how different people process the same trauma.