Reviews with content warning for Suicidal thoughts - Frère d'âme

I was really hoping to get behind this story. A tale of war, grief, violence and a struggle to keep our humanity. This book fell short of my expectations to say the least.

It's a short book but goes on forever. The story follows a character that starts to unravel after what he has done in this war zone though I see no struggle on his part to keep his humanity. Thought of as an animal by his forst behaviour, this seems to encourage him or even jsut make him give up and he begins to act and think like one.

A random SA scene in it with glorifying language made me question why it was even in the book. I really dislike when authors do trauma for trauma sake. Perhaps this was to say the character has always been a bad person? One can only debate on that..

A book about a man who looses control, not much growth or plot happens other than that and I really don't know why its won the prize it has. Its well written, for what it's worth, but the unexplained or resolved addition of triggered content isn't something I can get behind.

I feel like it needed to be much longer to really express this character.
Despite all its attempts to shock us, it was just a bit boring too.

Content Warnings

erebus53's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

God's truth, I know, I understand.
This is a story that is deftly crafted. It is a lyrically poetic short-read, that has lines that are used and reused like a mantra. They ground the story where the mentality of the narrator is not always so grounded.

In war the conflict is as much internal as external, and this is a story of duality. It primarily deals with the narrator's conflict over moral imperatives, and the practicalities of situations. Is morality absolute?, or is the outcome worse when you "do what you must"? When you are doing Good because you have unquestioning duty, you do not stop and think for yourself. These are the disconcerting grey areas that more people ignore.

The self analysis of a man who has gone through, and been damaged by, horrendous trauma
unearths the revelation that there are sometimes "thoughts too well dressed to be honest". It's clear that the emotional and mental state of people in conflict puts pressure on these thoughts.. the simple truths or simple lies that we are taught, that are used to describe our value systems, and the roles that others expect us to fill.

War demands inhumanity of humans. It calls brutality good, and rewards those who are unwise. It expects you to ignore your own survival instinct and lean a little into the insanity of Bravery.. but you need to come back from that edge. People want temporary madmen; "no continuous madmen".

This story told by a broken person who has leaned too far into the madness of war, has a great narrative flow. The tal is laid out about the harshness of battle, and some life in the trenches, and in recollections from before the war. The ending is a bit of a departure from the rest of the story and has a fabulous twist. Whether or not the narrator is reliable is left up to your scrutiny.

Content Warnings

bersblue's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

lakeus's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

SPOILERS AHEAD

I cannot piece together my thoughts on this book and I wonder whether it was the author’s intention to have that effect.

The chapters about Alfa’s time in the trenches following Mademba’s death and slow spiral into madness are so well written and heartbreaking, especially when reflecting on the death of the ‘traitors’ and his murder of the young German soldier- over who he feels some guilt towards. I think it shows the catastrophic effects of war and brutal violence on the human psyche and what grief can do to a person.

However, in the last few chapters I became confused at the drastically different tone and subject- mainly Alfa’s background- and the twist in the final chapter. I have my own interpretations of what it means but it did catch me off guard and shifted the book’s tone to mystery/fantasy depending on how you read it.
I will definitely need to reread the ending at some point.

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