Reviews

I Had a Brother Once: A Poem, a Memoir, by Adam Mansbach

thevicarslice's review

3.0

This is best consumed as an audiobook. Good production all around. Death has strange powers and imprints on each of us differently.

heyshannonhall's review

emotional sad medium-paced

4.0

Beautiful. Heartbreaking.

asirainira's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

4.25

tales_of_erasmo's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.5

emilyclare5's review

5.0

So powerful. The first book I’ve ever wanted to keep to read again.

fencewalker's review

4.0

This book was a very unique and devastating experience. Written in longform verse, Mansbach takes us through several stages of his grieving process: the night before he learned of his brothers death, the intense numb grief immediately following, the disbelief, the how you try to continue on with your life and not get sunk, the scrabbling to answers, the long years that his brother will never experience. I felt that the long sentence and poetic format worked especially well in the first section of the story, where everything runs together but is so distinct and memorable.

If you have ever lost a loved one to suicide, this book will hit especially hard.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

curtisjc3's review

challenging reflective medium-paced

4.25

shewantsthediction's review

challenging emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

3.0

lexisbooked's review

4.0

I was expecting this to break me, and it did not disappoint. Mansbach writes a story that is equally well-crafted and personal. Though the medium of poetry, he shows the reader who his brother David was before, during, and after his death, as well as how he affected those who were left behind. Anyone who has experienced the loss of a loved one to suicide can relate to the honesty and reality that Mansbach writes. The only criticism I had against the book is that the chapter breaks were kind of weird. Some would carry on to an entirely new part of the story and others continued where the last chapter left off. It seemed as though they were only there to break up the long poetry, but I think I would have preferred it as one large piece. Overall, I recommend this to anyone who has felt the pain of losing a loved one to suicide or just wants to read a personal account from someone who has.

Disclaimer: I received a free e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

yosafbridg's review

5.0

This is brilliantly expressed prose about absence and loss. It describes both the relationship Adam had with his brother and the lack of understanding he feels when that relationship is suddenly severed by his brother's suicide.