Review: Brother, by David Chariandy

Brother, by David Chariandy

Penguin Random House Canada Audio - 2017
General Fiction
Audiobook
Narrated by Joseph Pierre

4 Hours, 9 Minutes

Short-listed for CBC's 2019 Canada Reads, Winner of the 2017 Rogers Writers Trust Fiction Prize, Scotiabank Giller Prize nominee 2017

My Rating (out of 5)

⭐⭐⭐⭐

The story of a first generation Canadian - a young black man, and his family, living in a cycle of racism, poverty and violence. A wake-up call to to Canadians who think that racism is not an issue here.

Michael and his brother Francis were both born in Canada. They were being raised by their mother who immigrated from Trinidad in hopes of a better future for herself and her children. That promise of a better future and all the hopes that went with it remained unfulfilled though. Their father left the family when the boys were very young, and poverty, racism, and violence were everyday experiences for the family - a cycle that some die from, and few escape from unscathed.

Told in shifting time lines, the story follows Michael as he recounts growing up at the side of his big brother Francis, as close and loving as brothers can be, and the days leading up to Francis' death in an act of violence.
 
"He was my brother. The one who told me about lightning and girls. The one who crouched beside me in hideouts when we were little. His shoulder thin and bare against mine, his body always just a skin away."

Beautifully written, this bittersweet story could be the story of any one of thousands of immigrant/first generation Canadian families. It is a story of unfulfilled potential and promise and a story of grief. It is also a story of love and hope and resilience. It is a story that reminds us of how society shapes the future of our youth. While the characters and events in this story were fictional, the social issues addressed in this story are very real.

While the subject is heartrendingly sad, it is told with beautiful prose. Short but emotionally intense, I can see why it was chosen as one of the  short-listed books for this year's Canada Reads on CBC, with this year's theme being "One book to move you". I can certainly say that I was moved.

This book was narrated by Joseph Pierre. Cadence and tone were pleasant and he performed with a good range of character and emotion. 

Happy Reading,

Christine