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A review by indydriven
One Brother Shy by Terry Fallis
4.0
I received a copy of this book from Penguin Randomhouse Canada at my request in exchange for an honest review. I have read all of Terry Fallis’ previous books and my by-far the favorite is The Best Laid Plans so I was a little nervous about this book since I had specifically requested a copy for review purposes.
My fears were unfounded. My favorite book by the author remains The Best Laid Plans but this comes a very close second.
The book begins with the reader being introduced to Alex MacAskill and his mother, who is dying. Alex’s days consist of going to work (he is a computer coder working in Ottawa, Ontario), coming home and relieving the home care assistant and then spending the rest of the evening caring for his mother. He is fine with this existence as he has been “in hiding” since an incident in high school (posted on Youtube for the world to see) changed his life to the point where he is almost a hermit. He likes his job but the humiliating incident in high school continues to rule his life.
Within the first few pages of the novel, Alex’s mother passes away and he discovers evidence that he has a twin brother that he never knew about. The book can be summed up as Alex’s journey to find his brother, his father and himself.
Terry Fallis is very good at character development and this book shines with likeable characters. While the plot may at times be a bit predictable, I was happy to go along for the ride because I was invested in the characters and wanted to see how things all worked out for them at the end (which is tied up in a nice bow).
This is a fairly quick read and is definitely worth the time and effort.
My fears were unfounded. My favorite book by the author remains The Best Laid Plans but this comes a very close second.
The book begins with the reader being introduced to Alex MacAskill and his mother, who is dying. Alex’s days consist of going to work (he is a computer coder working in Ottawa, Ontario), coming home and relieving the home care assistant and then spending the rest of the evening caring for his mother. He is fine with this existence as he has been “in hiding” since an incident in high school (posted on Youtube for the world to see) changed his life to the point where he is almost a hermit. He likes his job but the humiliating incident in high school continues to rule his life.
Within the first few pages of the novel, Alex’s mother passes away and he discovers evidence that he has a twin brother that he never knew about. The book can be summed up as Alex’s journey to find his brother, his father and himself.
Terry Fallis is very good at character development and this book shines with likeable characters. While the plot may at times be a bit predictable, I was happy to go along for the ride because I was invested in the characters and wanted to see how things all worked out for them at the end (which is tied up in a nice bow).
This is a fairly quick read and is definitely worth the time and effort.