Reviews

Brother & Sister Enter the Forest by Richard Mirabella

vivacissimx's review against another edition

3.0

I finished this but there were several moments when I wasn't sure if I would or could. It's a story about a very tenuous family, or at least about the members of it, all of them shallowly written enough that you can settle into them as part and parcel with their environment. Nature writing done well. The second half is stronger than the first half, so sticking with it felt mildly rewarding. There were quiet moments that felt so human, quite compelling. The day to day beat is the heart of this.

However, it wasn't a satisfying read for some reason, maybe it was realistic but some times the interactions felt cruel for the sake of it, or maybe this was just meant to be a story about difficult, unsolvable personalities. The TBI of one of the main characters was done with care & sensitivity! Ultimately I wouldn't recommend but it's not a bad novel or anything just far from my speed.

foxmoon's review against another edition

5.0

In the same vein as A Little Life's Jude, my heart aches for Brother & Sister Enter the Forest's Justin who also experiences a serious physical and emotional trauma as a teen and isn't able to receive the support necessary to keep him afloat as an adult. His mother is cold and unaccepting while his sister is often too meek or exhausted by her own life to be able to give him the constant support he needs. While not as intense as ALL, Brother also demonstrates how trauma can affect a person and the people they love throughout their lives. Heartbreaking.

barbarabarbara's review

emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

hanniboiii's review against another edition

dark reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

I always find it interesting reading about family dynamics and letting myself subconsciously compare and contrast my relationships with my own family. As I read about Willow and Justin, I saw pieces of myself in the sister, and pieces of my siblings in the brothers. Likewise, there were aspects that I couldn't relate to in the slightest. And thank god our lives weren't quite so tragic. The tension, the push and the pull from these characters was so raw and so real. The idea of coming together when they needed each other, and pulling away when they needed their solitude. 

•

Like most literary fiction, this was a melancholic slice of life, but with a frightening, pained intrigue. Much like true crime, or driving by a car accident, it's scary and sad and hurts to read, but it's also so interesting and so filled with feeling that you can't look away. And I am now inspired to create my own dark and twisty dioramas.

jess_brooks's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

3.0

princesspearl's review

2.5

some interesting ideas but i found this quite boring

valkeakuulas's review against another edition

challenging dark sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Heartbreaking story about loosing your childhood and the guilt of not being enough for the loved ones. I think this is also the kind of novel that makes every reader have their own interpretation on what is the meaning of the story. But such a heavy read. 

Both Willa and Justin are broken and unable to break away from their past. Justin's story especially gives the reader all the range of emotion from pain to hopefulness. Willa starts off as an aloof character but somehow by the end you understand where her feelings come from. 

As a reading experience the structure is complicated and even slightly convoluted because you have all the time wonder what timeline are we again. I don't know if that is the intention of our writer since both siblings, especially Justin's, world IS convoluted and anxious. 

taylor_reese's review

dark mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.5

chihuahuahua's review

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

al07734's review

3.5

It's hard to rate this book. Nothing really happens the entire time, it's sort of just a gentle tragic spiral down. The characters in the family are complex and morally grey, although I do feel for the sister. I think this book would be very cathartic to anyone in a similar situation as Willa. It's sad that Justin never got the help he needed because his mother was just so unsupportive. In a different family he would have been able to live a normal life and recover from the trauma but Grace was stubborn to a fault. There was a lot of symbolism that I enjoyed and maybe would like to explore again if I re-read this. The book ended up being a bit boring, a bit sad, but pretty nonetheless. This is small town upstate NY vibes.