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A review by yxi
Brother by Ania Ahlborn
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Ania Ahlborn... I just want to talk.
I just want to talk about that last line.
It punched the air from my lungs...
This book is bleak and devastating and cruel, and I loved every page. Even when I saw the plot unfolding and predicted where it would go, I found myself spurred on to read faster so I could see how it would all come together.
Ahlborn is able to portray traumatised and violent characters in a way that walks an exceptionally thin like between horrifying and empathic. We see their flaws and the source of those traumas, but the narrative never excuses what the family does.
'Brother' is beautifully written, heartbreakingly tragic, and bleak enough to sit like a weight on my chest for the rest of the year.
I just want to talk about that last line.
It punched the air from my lungs...
This book is bleak and devastating and cruel, and I loved every page. Even when I saw the plot unfolding and predicted where it would go, I found myself spurred on to read faster so I could see how it would all come together.
Ahlborn is able to portray traumatised and violent characters in a way that walks an exceptionally thin like between horrifying and empathic. We see their flaws and the source of those traumas, but the narrative never excuses what the family does.
'Brother' is beautifully written, heartbreakingly tragic, and bleak enough to sit like a weight on my chest for the rest of the year.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Cannibalism, Torture, Kidnapping, and Violence