Take a photo of a barcode or cover
meeklovestoread 's review for:
Brother
by Ania Ahlborn
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
If messed up were a book, it would be this one.
You know, I was told this is one of the darkest thrillers that people have read. That's initially what drew me to the book. Maybe I'm desensitized or something (I don't think so), but I don't think this is the darkest you'll ever read, just putting that out there. Was it dark and disturbing, yes, but the storyline itself isn't anything I haven't seen before, and I think that's my main drawback with this book.
This trope isn't new, and with the hype that it was getting, I thought it was going to provide something new to the table, but it didn't. Just the same redneck hill-billy psychopathic poor family with nothing else better to do than to just be deranged serial killers.
The characters, although we spend a lot of time with them, are flat. I think their (Reb/Ray and Michael) motivation for doing the things they did was pity and superficial. Although every single event that transpires in this book is tragic, I didn't find myself feeling for any of the characters. Was I engaged, for sure, but I wasn't connected to the story at all. Did not predict the ending twist.So much incest in this book. Did not expect Alice to be Michael's biological sister. And for him to have killed and kissed his own mother's dead body. And that Reb was playing the long lame just because he believed 7-year-old Michael got Lauralynn killed.
And speaking of the character, my gosh, I know Michael's been indoctrinated and whatnot, and I have sympathy for him, of course, but my gosh, he made the most idiotic decisions. Like he was just being so stupid, and at times, I didn't have the patience for it. He got on my nerves. I wish we got more depth to the characters, especially their Mom.
Overall, it was a meh book. I listened to it in a day, so I was definitely engaged in the story, hence the quarter star. However, the ending did confuse me.Did everyone just die? There's no plot, really. You're just reading about a lot of messed-up things and reading from the POV of a psycho and a lost boy. As for how dark the book is, I feel like if you're used to dark thrillers, this won't bother you. I seriously feel she could've gone ham with that, but she didn't. However, if you're not used to dark books and/or don't like them, I don't think this would be digestible for you at all; a lot of sick and twisted things happen here. You've been warned.
You know, I was told this is one of the darkest thrillers that people have read. That's initially what drew me to the book. Maybe I'm desensitized or something (I don't think so), but I don't think this is the darkest you'll ever read, just putting that out there. Was it dark and disturbing, yes, but the storyline itself isn't anything I haven't seen before, and I think that's my main drawback with this book.
This trope isn't new, and with the hype that it was getting, I thought it was going to provide something new to the table, but it didn't. Just the same redneck hill-billy psychopathic poor family with nothing else better to do than to just be deranged serial killers.
The characters, although we spend a lot of time with them, are flat. I think their (Reb/Ray and Michael) motivation for doing the things they did was pity and superficial. Although every single event that transpires in this book is tragic, I didn't find myself feeling for any of the characters. Was I engaged, for sure, but I wasn't connected to the story at all. Did not predict the ending twist.
And speaking of the character, my gosh, I know Michael's been indoctrinated and whatnot, and I have sympathy for him, of course, but my gosh, he made the most idiotic decisions. Like he was just being so stupid, and at times, I didn't have the patience for it. He got on my nerves. I wish we got more depth to the characters, especially their Mom.
Overall, it was a meh book. I listened to it in a day, so I was definitely engaged in the story, hence the quarter star. However, the ending did confuse me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Incest, Physical abuse, Blood, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Body horror, Cursing, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Grief, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol
Minor: Pedophilia