Description
Price: $18.99 - $11.89
(as of Jul 24, 2024 22:41:05 UTC – Details)
By: Ania Ahlborn (Author)
From the bestselling horror author of Within…
Brother
Reviews
Add a review
Price: $18.99 - $11.89
(as of Jul 24, 2024 22:41:05 UTC – Details)
By: Ania Ahlborn (Author)
From the bestselling horror author of Within…
Bob Lewis –
This book will haunt you
I knew the premise of this book going in. It’s no spoiler to say this book centers on a character, Michael, who is a member of a family of serial killers and that the story hinges on his struggle to reconcile his own thoughts with what his family does. As such, I expected a bloody and violent horror story. In that, I wasn’t disappointed, but I’m immeasurably pleased that the book, while it is violent, while it is bloody, while it does have plenty of extreme horror, is also a surprisingly deep and often moving character study.The writing is simple and concise enough to fade into the background and allow the reader to fully immerse him/herself in a story that’s gripping from beginning to end, both during scenes of truly horrific violence and during introspective interludes. But it’s the psychology behind the story that really makes it shine. You will find yourself experiencing a lot of conflicting emotions as you struggle to reconcile the different sides of characters whose motivations are not always immediately clear (to the reader and sometimes even to themselves).Upon finishing this book, I found myself thinking about two of history’s great thinkers. Tolstoy observed that all happy families are alike but each unhappy family is unhappy in its own unique way. Nowhere is that more explicitly on display than in the relationships between the family members in this book. What’s particularly horrifying is that, though the acts of violence depicted are likely alien to the vast majority of readers, I suspect many of us see hints of our own familial dysfunction beneath the surface of these characters. The idea that characters whose acts are so monstrous bear any similarity to ourselves and our own families is terrifying, and that terror is at the heart of what makes this book so stunning and, indeed, haunting. You’ll likely find these characters keep creeping back into your thoughts from time to time long after you’ve finished reading it.And then there’s Aristotle, who told us that the endings of stories should seem simultaneously surprising and inevitable. And, moving on to a discussion of plot (as opposed to character), that’s certainly what we find here. I won’t spoil anything, but I will say that I was genuinely surprised by some of this book’s turns, and often felt that they were SO inevitable that I should have seen them coming. That I didn’t is a testament to the book’s ability to pull the reader in. The author seems to have a magician’s skill at misdirection, and the reader always feels on shaky ground when it comes to predicting the book’s outcome. Admittedly, I got about a chapter ahead of the author on just a few of the twists and turns, but I was nevertheless both surprised and satisfied by most of the plot.I’ll be the first to acknowledge that this isn’t the book for everyone. Those of us who prefer “quieter” (or at least less bloody and extreme) horror could easily feel overwhelmed by some of the things that happen in this book, even if the focus is more on character than on the acts of violence themselves. That having been said, if you have the stomach for the more extreme scenes, you owe it to yourself to read this book.
Kindle Customer –
Brother
The strangely bizarre pathological family and their horrific hobby are both fascinating and hard to take, but the plot is somewhat compelling and well-told. Probably not a book for the faint of heart, with a high body count and cannabilism. The interaction between Michael and Reb drives the story and keeps things moving. What are they going to do next? Interesting twists.
Amazon Customer –
Good old hillbilly crazy story
This was a really well written book, I was interested in it until YNt very end. I felt it was very predictable and figured out the plot early on but I was okay with it. The story was still good enough to finish it anyways
Kira –
Just wow.
Huge fan of disturbing novels. Love this book as it clearly has a plot and it’s not overly gory just for the hell of it. There is graphic content but imo it wasn’t overly detailed.
dwhite –
A good read
Brother is about a teenager who was kidnapped as a child and brought up in a family that consists of an insane mother who likes to torture and kill( and sometimes eat) young girls.An equally insane father who allows this and also won’t say no to a good price of meat or mommas stew. A brooding and basically crazy brother who likes to be called rebel, feels the need to control and sometimes beat the tar out of Michael. It’s Rebel and Michaels job to keep momma happy with fresh girls. Then there is this sister, Misty Dawn who Michael is very protective of…
Megan –
Despite the title, I absolutely loved this book. I always look for books that I can’t put down and get excited to read. This was one of those! I won’t spoil it for anyone, but the only thing I hated was the ending. It was very well written and suspenseful.
Customer Fan –
Story that is very different from what you usually read. Disgust mixed with suspense mixed with terror.
Luke Hall –
Full of twists and turns. Thoroughly enjoyed!
Indie Horror Reviews –
Man what a brutal, relentless and amazing story. Rebel is such a terrible character and the emotions I felt reading this and how actually tense it physically made me is a testement to Ania Ahlborns writing and story telling. This is the first book I have read of hers but wont be the last. A horror masterpiece.