Scan barcode
landonkenney's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This book is an incredible snapshot of grief, and the love of a community that’s needed to heal.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality
Moderate: Racial slurs and Racism
kktaylor11's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I started the 2023 Read the World challenge here on Storygraph, requiring me to read books set or written in 10 different areas of the world. One of the areas (Trinidad and Tobago) was a complete mystery to me, and I figured I'd end up reading a romance novel set in a beach resort just to "check it off" the list. Instead, skimming their list of suggested titles, Brother by David Chariandy caught my attention and I gave it a shot. If nothing else comes of this challenge, I am thankful this challenge brought me to this book!
From the first page the language of this book is captivating, quickly transitioning the experience from "just another book" to "a powerful work of literature." So many poignant moments of literary perfection.
From the first page the language of this book is captivating, quickly transitioning the experience from "just another book" to "a powerful work of literature." So many poignant moments of literary perfection.
"He taught me that, my older brother. Memory's got nothing to do with the old and grey and faraway gone. Memory's the muscle sting of now."
The story is a simple one on paper - ten years after the death of his older brother, Francis, main character Michael, invites a girl from his past, Aisha, to stay with him while she grieves her father's death. Aisha's presence pushes Michael both physically and emotionally to confront the loss of his brother.
There is so much more in this 200 pages, though -- this is a story of identity, of family, of courage, of grief, of brutality and recovery. It deals with crucial modern issues like the interaction of black men and the police and the view of gay men in the black community with a featherlight touch and brutal honesty. A plot structure that could be easily seen as an attempt to play on headlines is instead gut wrenchingly honest in its presentation of the unexpectedness, the unexplanable nature, and the unacceptableness of the actions included. Francis' character in absentia remains the most powerful force - his family and friends pulled to his gravity even years after his death. The highest compliment I can give a book is to say I want to write about it...and this one I do. I want to write and write and write...this book has so much to explore.
Honestly, though, I feel insignificant just trying to review this book - it's so beautiful and so powerful it should be the top of every reading list.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Racism, Police brutality, and Grief
Moderate: Bullying
maxmanga's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Police brutality
potterpav's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
wow .. a short book but so impactful . you aren’t with the characters for very long , but you can still see their motivations and reasonings for their actions (whether good or bad) and it feels like you’re watching an ocean of stories all mingle together , despite the book focusing on 3 main characters . what a way to start the 2023 reading year - thank you david chariandy
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs and Police brutality
katoo's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, and Police brutality
lizlikesfrogs's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, and Police brutality
megelizabeth's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.5
"Francis was my older brother. His was a name a toughened kid might boast of knowing, or a name a parent might pronounce in warning. But before all of this, he was the shoulder pressed against me bare and warm, that body always just a skin away."
This is a brilliant, beautiful, soul-destroying book. The writing is very strong and the non-linear narrative is very well-crafted, and I adored the central relationship between brothers Michael and Francis, which is portrayed with such honesty and devastation. There's also a super interesting set of side characters and so many other important relationships are explored too.
This book provides so much to think about and reflect upon in its themes of grief, trauma, familial expectations, living as an immigrant, poverty, race, sexuality, police violence, and friendship and community, and it's one that I'm sure will stay with me for a long time.
My only criticism is that I struggled to feel connected to the time period. Most of the book is set during the 1980s and 1990s, but for reasons I can't quite articulate, it felt very contemporary and I honestly wouldn't have batted an eyelid if every word had been the same but it had been set today. I'd still highly, highly recommend it though, as everything else about it is so fantastic and brutal and important and devastating.
This is a brilliant, beautiful, soul-destroying book. The writing is very strong and the non-linear narrative is very well-crafted, and I adored the central relationship between brothers Michael and Francis, which is portrayed with such honesty and devastation. There's also a super interesting set of side characters and so many other important relationships are explored too.
This book provides so much to think about and reflect upon in its themes of grief, trauma, familial expectations, living as an immigrant, poverty, race, sexuality, police violence, and friendship and community, and it's one that I'm sure will stay with me for a long time.
My only criticism is that I struggled to feel connected to the time period. Most of the book is set during the 1980s and 1990s, but for reasons I can't quite articulate, it felt very contemporary and I honestly wouldn't have batted an eyelid if every word had been the same but it had been set today. I'd still highly, highly recommend it though, as everything else about it is so fantastic and brutal and important and devastating.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Gun violence, Racism, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Homophobia and Terminal illness
serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
A tale of brotherly love, the challenges faced by young Black men, and a life cut short. Place and time were vividly depicted - both the good and the bad. A realistically gritty look at the Caribbean immigrant experience in Toronto in the early 1990s. In some ways a sad and depressing read, but the tight community bonds shone through.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Racism, and Police brutality
hoiyan's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Memory's got nothing to do with the old and grey and faraway gone. Memory's the muscle sting of now. A kid reaching brave in the skull hum of power.
wow. this is one of those books that punch you in the gut and you feel that hurt forever.
a story set in Scarborough about a first-gen Caribbean family that touches on being Black in Canada, and the ongoing grief that follows.
chariandy sets up the book slowly, using beautiful descriptions of Scarborough that change and adapt to the events happening at the time of the description, and makes the inanimate come to life.
the timeline going forward and back and forward again is pretty unorthodox, and was a bit confusing to keep track of which events happened when, but are vital to the storytelling. this novel's delivery almost mimics the memory flow of, you guessed it, a human being.
"Volume!" Every voice in the place together.
Volume!
the book focuses on heavy themes of grief, police brutality, racism, and the migrant experience in Canada living in a poverty-stricken area, but also turns readers' attention to the Black music culture, and heavily emphasizes the beauty and importance of music. the mentions of Black artists like Nina Simone, Otis Redding, Sam Cooke, Gladys Knight, Smokey Robinson, Etta James contrasts the looming theme of racism in the book, and instead focuses on Black Excellence, especially in Michael and Francis' situation where their mother pushed "Your one and only chance," to climb higher (socially) and make it big in the world as a Black person in a White society.
this book gripped my little first-gen Canadian, child of an immigrant heart and didn't let go. i'm hesitating to give a full five stars due to one detail: chariandy using the homophobic f slur in his writing, and not as a reclamation. david chariandy is a cishet man, and has no right to use this slur, not even as another character speaking. he rightfully reclaimed the n slur in this book, but as a cishet man, had no right to use the homophobic f slur, no exceptions.
all in all, this book made me feel too much and made me want to cry one too many times. i highly recommend, and leave you with this:
this book gripped my little first-gen Canadian, child of an immigrant heart and didn't let go. i'm hesitating to give a full five stars due to one detail: chariandy using the homophobic f slur in his writing, and not as a reclamation. david chariandy is a cishet man, and has no right to use this slur, not even as another character speaking. he rightfully reclaimed the n slur in this book, but as a cishet man, had no right to use the homophobic f slur, no exceptions.
all in all, this book made me feel too much and made me want to cry one too many times. i highly recommend, and leave you with this:
"And if you can't memory right," he said, "you lose."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, and Grief
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Domestic abuse, and Mental illness
Minor: Cancer, Homophobia, Sexual content, and Death of parent
bailey63's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Never had to read book for school that I ended up loving so much.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Racial slurs, and Police brutality
Minor: Cancer, Homophobia, and Dementia