Brothers

By Ted van Lieshout and Sim Kern

A compelling account of a boy coming to terms with his brother's death and his discovery of his own and his brother's homosexuality.

Brothers is a book which is both compelling and intensely moving as it looks at life, death and love in the context of growing up and trying to make sense of it all. It is tender, sensitive and poignant as it deals with the sexual emergence of a teenage boy, trying to come to terms with the death of his brother and, while reading his brother's diary, discovers not only that his brother was gay, but that he himself is also. As a story of two brothers, it is both thought provoking and intriguing. The reader is engaged instantly through its intimate narrative diary format. This is indeed an exceptional book.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0007112319
• ISBN13: 9780007112319
• Release Date: June 2001
• Publisher: Collins Flamingo
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.0" x 8.0"
• Age Range: 13 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 8 and higher

Customer Reviews

A diary of hidden truths, a story of love

Luke's brother Marius died a year ago, his mother is going to burn all his belongings in a ceremonial bonfire, but Luke finds Marius' diary and in an attempt to secure it from the fire he starts writing his own thoughts in it. As he discovers Marius' own words he begins a dialogue with his lost brother, and uncovers a few surprises, including a secret each harboured, his brother was gay, and so is he. Brothers is an imaginative and very moving story, a story of love, of hidden truths and of discovery. Luke's words to his brother vary from reproachful to witty, from questioning to understanding, but ultimately to an expression of great brotherly love. A most beautiful story; on more than one accession as I read I felt tears welling up, and when I reached the final pages I had to fight all the harder to keep the tears back.

Brotherhood and loss

It's been six months since Luke's younger brother passed away due to a genetic illness unknown to the family at the time. Their mother has made the decision to burn Marius's things on what would've been his 15th birthday, as a way of saying goodbye. But Luke isn't ready to let go, he finds Marius's diary and starts writing down his thoughts where his brother left off. Everything he's kept inside for six months comes flooding out. Through writing he's finally able to say the things he couldn't admit to his brother when Marius was still alive. He discovers that they've both been hiding secrets, from their parents and each other. Set in The Netherlands in the early 1970s, Brothers is a beautifully written coming-of-age story. It's not fast paced or action packed, but it's one of those novels you could read again and again. I would recommend this book for teens and grownups alike.