kylarenreads 's review for:

Brother by David Chariandy

5.0

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This book does an amazing job of explaining relatable grief, but detailing that complex grief is it's own different and monster, with harsher symptoms that are much harder to treat, to the point of being untreatable in some cases. This felt so intimate and personal, like letters from a friend sharing what's been going on in their life over the last few years. I am amazed by the layers of understanding, the complexity of the characters and their relationships, especially for such a short book. A powerful piece! For Netflix fans, the story isn't parallel, but the setting feels like a Canadian parallel to the community presented in Chewing Gum.