Reviews

Brother Alive by Zain Khalid

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alisarae's review against another edition

5.0

I almost gave up on this book because, while stylishly written, it seemed to be yet one more book about identity struggles as a immigrant/adoptee/religious and racial minority/gay man. I held on because of a shapeshifting hallucination named Brother that introduced a novel element into the usual fare. I wanted to see what Brother meant and how it was going to be used in the narrative.

I had no idea that halfway through the book the genre would change from literary identity exploration to dystopian political thriller. That whole half of the story was deeply undersold in the blurb.

No spoilers, but the religious element throughout the story was a big draw for me to begin with -- I am fascinated by gay muslim stories bc I like to see how evangelical christianity's sister religion handles the lgbt issue -- and then when politics, power, and money got mixed in I was like "this is my catjam!"

arrivingstill's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

okay now what. biting through my arm

thea_wilby's review against another edition

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challenging dark slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

quickolive32's review against another edition

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5.0

My favorite part of this book is definitely Part 2, where the adoptive "uncle" Salim tells his story from his perspective. I didn't realize how much of a fantasy of mine it is to be able to understand my parents story from their own perspective.

Growing up in household run by immigrant parents its hard to understand where my parents cultural or religious beliefs come from. I don't have the cultural context that they did growing up. My whole life has been trying to find my place between the place I am from and the place they're from.

My parents are their own people. They're immigrants from a foreign land and I can only imagine the things they've seen and experienced in their lives. I often wonder about what made them the people they are. Luckily, I still have time to ask.

jrwren's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

joetatum24's review against another edition

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5.0

4.5- I’ve been trying to figure out just what I think of this novel. It’s stayed with me the past few days, and I want others to read it so we can talk about it. It’s not quite like anything else I’ve read. I love that it swings for the fences in terms of storytelling. It doesn’t always land, but I mostly loved it. If you’re my friend, read it and let’s talk about it!

ida03a's review against another edition

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4.5

This one is so hard to rate. It was such a unique story that it's hard to compare to others, and it tackles so many different themes. Throughout the whole book you are a bit confused, and I felt myself being sure I understood it one second, and then having no idea the very next. This is a feeling I kind of enjoy though. The characters feel real and flawed in a good way. I loved how the story was from both Youssef and Imam Salims point of view, would have loved to seen other characters weigh in too. I found Imam Salims part especially engaging as it revealed so much that was left unsaid in the first part. The third part was a bit too confusing to me, and I'm not 100% sure how we ended up there. It felt a bit like a sudden genre switch and left me a bit unsure. Would have given this a five star if it ended differently. Would still recommend to a friend looking for a complicated and thought-provoking book.