A review by karaklos
Once We Were Brothers by Ronald H. Balson
4.0
I read this book at the recommendation of my father-in-law whose mother was a Polish forced laborer during WWII. This is a very gripping story of two men that grew up as brothers and ended up on opposite sides during WWII. Years later, the Polish brother Ben is determined to expose the German brother (Elliot aka Otto) as a Nazi.
The book switches back and forth between present day and the time before & during WWII. The flashbacks in time while horrifying were very intriguing and well-researched. For this, the book is a great read.
The present-day chapters tend to get bogged down with the attorney representing Ben and her daily life and love life (boring). It also wasn’t believable that she would agree to represent Ben without having more knowledge/proof of his claims. Also, the author never delves into Otto’s psychology and motives. He’s portrayed as the enemy without exposing any details of his mindset. I expected them to be revealed at the very end but they never were. Lastly, some of the present-day storylines were silly (Ben peering through Elliot’s mansion windows for proof, someone ransacking Ben’s apartment, etc.).
The book switches back and forth between present day and the time before & during WWII. The flashbacks in time while horrifying were very intriguing and well-researched. For this, the book is a great read.
The present-day chapters tend to get bogged down with the attorney representing Ben and her daily life and love life (boring). It also wasn’t believable that she would agree to represent Ben without having more knowledge/proof of his claims. Also, the author never delves into Otto’s psychology and motives. He’s portrayed as the enemy without exposing any details of his mindset. I expected them to be revealed at the very end but they never were. Lastly, some of the present-day storylines were silly (Ben peering through Elliot’s mansion windows for proof, someone ransacking Ben’s apartment, etc.).