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3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
Relentlessly bare emotions is what Sharkey manages to slew into his work detailing his family’s beginnings to the eventual arrest of his younger brother for the murder of his niece. After reviewing Sharkey’s depiction of his brother and the persona he has presented and maintained throughout his life, I hold high doubts that Stuart Campbell will reveal Danielle’s whereabouts. Like Sharkey says some time earlier in the book, Campbell’s revelation would mean he would apologize, an indirect acknowledgment of his crimes (of which he denied).
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
(This is a Netgalley review.)
I love true crime but rarely end up actually enjoying true crime—far too often it fails in major ways. The author is self-congratulatory, the killer is treated as some fascinating mastermind, or the victims are exploited or treated as set dressing.
So I was cautious going in but was pleasantly surprised to find very little of this. Rather than being about the murder, or even really about the murderer, this is more of an autobiography about the author’s relationship with his family and how the murder changed everything about his life. This is what interests me about true crime; the impact. I tore through most of this book in a couple hours and was really very impressed.
The writing was fantastic. Sharkley is really very good at painting a portrait of people: even folks who only show up once or twice get their own description. The narrative voice is really excellent, and he is very good at reflecting others voices as well.
I will warn people that the author does discuss things that occurred involving anti-Asian hate (he is white but was often targeted due to being perceived as asian) and homophobia, both in actions and in slurs. I personally didn’t have an issue with it because it is nonfiction and he was relating things that really happened, but he is not Asian (nor as far as I know, queer) and thus I could see that being an issue for some readers.
Overall, a really excellent read and one I would suggest to anyone who, like me, is interested in the effects a crime has on the people around it.
I love true crime but rarely end up actually enjoying true crime—far too often it fails in major ways. The author is self-congratulatory, the killer is treated as some fascinating mastermind, or the victims are exploited or treated as set dressing.
So I was cautious going in but was pleasantly surprised to find very little of this. Rather than being about the murder, or even really about the murderer, this is more of an autobiography about the author’s relationship with his family and how the murder changed everything about his life. This is what interests me about true crime; the impact. I tore through most of this book in a couple hours and was really very impressed.
The writing was fantastic. Sharkley is really very good at painting a portrait of people: even folks who only show up once or twice get their own description. The narrative voice is really excellent, and he is very good at reflecting others voices as well.
I will warn people that the author does discuss things that occurred involving anti-Asian hate (he is white but was often targeted due to being perceived as asian) and homophobia, both in actions and in slurs. I personally didn’t have an issue with it because it is nonfiction and he was relating things that really happened, but he is not Asian (nor as far as I know, queer) and thus I could see that being an issue for some readers.
Overall, a really excellent read and one I would suggest to anyone who, like me, is interested in the effects a crime has on the people around it.
challenging
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
My Brother, The Killer is an interesting account into the life of child-killer Stuart Campbell. It’s written by Alix Sharkey, his elder brother, and describes in great detail events such as their childhood and the murder charge itself.
It must have been a mammoth task for Alix to reach so far back into him and his brothers shared past. It’s an incredibly emotional account, with subjects such as living with their abusive father being discussed.
Alix switches back between writing about their childhood, to events after the crime took place. It gives the reader a greater insight and a deeper context into Stuarts mindset, allowing us to make our own decisions and theories about why he could commit such a heinous crime. You get the impression that Alix consistently asks himself “what if?”, and feels partially responsible for his younger brothers actions. I felt sick to my stomach at moments within this book, such as Stuart’s reluctance to reveal the whereabouts of Danielle’s body.
Overall, it’s a disturbing and heavily emotional read, but an interesting one nonetheless.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Murder, Alcohol
dark
informative
medium-paced