Brothers

Rating:
Summary: I didn't care for this one
Review: Chris is understandably worried about his older brother, Cameron. Psychotic and confused, Cameron has been hospitalized in the Berkshire mountains. When he escapes from the hospital, Chris makes a trip there to glean some information about him.

Unsatisfied with hospital personnel, Chris leaves to find his brother. As he embarks upon his quest, a patient named Michelle joins him. She is somehow able to leave the hospital freely. She travels with Chris to a paramilitary compound where Cameron has been staying. En route to the compound, Michelle invites her sister along. Chris and Michelle's sister provide normal foil to Michelle, who fades in and out of lucidity and to Cameron, delusional and confused once they find him.

The Sons of Liberty 2 (SOL2) is a racist, paramiliatary group who hold Chris and the girls captive. How they escape is also bizarre and implausible. I really didn't care for this story.

Rating:
Summary: An interesting approach to the topic
Review: Julian Thompson offers a unique and interesting approach to the painful subject of familial mental illness. I was expecting a similar story to Mazer's "When She Was Good," but this was strikingly different. "Brothers" is not so much an analysis of mental illness, but rather an exploration of how the "well" brother feels and perceives his sibling's suffering. As someone who has dealt with the profound tragedy of a family member's psychosis, I found the issues brought up in conversation during the journey to be very illuminating. It gave voice to a lot of the questions, confusion and pain that accompanied my experience. I was, therefore, a little disappointed by the action sequences that ensued. However, that had more to do with my hopes for the development of the book, rather than what it was really about. And this book IS incredibly thought provoking, moving, and entertaining. Fans who liked The Grounding of Group Six will not be disappointed, for sure, but I avidly recommend this to all.