Roof Beam Reader
Adam Burgess
Brothers by Ted van Lieshout #TheLiteraryOthers
Please welcome Carola from Brilliant Years who is here to provide a guest review of BROTHERS by Ted Van Lieshout. This is a book I read many years ago, and I agree with Carola that it is definitely worth reading.
Carola has also generously offered to provide one giveaway copy to a lucky participant of THE LITERARY OTHERS event! Read to the end for details.
Synopsis:
Half a year after Luke’s brother Marius passed away, their mother intends to burn all Marius’ possessions on his first birthday after his death as a grand goodbye. In an attempt to save Marius’ diary, Luke starts writing in it to make it as much his own as it was his brother’s. At first Luke simply writes on the empty pages and avoids reading Marius’ entries, but eventually he gives in and reads his brother’s words.
This book is quite special to me. I’d like to put this book in the spotlight because it’s a gorgeous young adult book, and because it’s from my home country: The Netherlands. It has been translated to multiple languages, including English, and received a Dutch award and even a German youth literature award. It’s a fairly popular book for high school reading lists in the Netherlands, which is fantastic.
The story is written from Luke’s point of view in the form of diary entries. In an attempt to save Marius’ diary from being burned by his mother, Luke starts writing in it. At first he only writes in the diary without peaking at his brother’s entries. He writes about himself and his family. He wonders, among other things, if he is still a brother when his only brother is death. When his mother threatens to tear out Luke’s pages and burn the diary after all, Luke is forced to start using Marius’ pages as well and to write between his lines. This is how the dialogue with (or rather monologue to) his brother begins. Not only do we find out more about what happened to his brother, but the diary also helps Luke come to terms with his sexuality. Luke’s words are down to earth, often witty, sometimes heartbreaking. The diary format is incredibly intimate and it works perfectly for this story.
Brothers is a fairly short book at just 160 pages, but even so the author manages to make the reader care deeply about his characters. I finished the book in no time, not just because it’s so short but also because I simply couldn’t put it down. Brothers is a story about family, loss, and sexuality. The book touches sensitive topics, but is written in an almost light-hearted way.
I can’t stop recommending this book!
Giveaway:
One lucky winner will receive a copy of BROTHERS.
- The giveaway is open to anyone living in an area where The Book Depository ships.
- Please leave a comment on this post indicating that you would like to win and give your recommendation for a book you think everyone should read.
- Please leave your email so we can contact the winner!
- Giveaway will close October 31st at 11:59PM CT
Roof Beam Reader 
please count me in. I’d love to win and read this book.
For book recommendation, I think everyone should read The Book Thief. Hhmmm but I think they have read it. It is too great to miss.
aleetha.ally at gmail dot com
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What a touching book. I’ll have to see if our library stocks it although I would think that’s doubtful.
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I would love a chance to win this book.
A book I recently read and would recommend is Walking up Dead by Nigel Williams. Its a great mystery & comedy.
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I would like to win this book. I think everyone should read The Five People You Meet In Heaven. Thank you for the giveaway!
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