tlashop.com

Grady Harp wrote on 04/10/2011:

Håkan Lindquist wrote this sterling, poignant, profound little novel in his native Swedish in 2002. Now, courtesy of Bruno Gmünder Verlag embarking on a very welcome avenue of adding literature to their repertoire of fine quality art books, the author's English translation is available in the United States. MY BROTHER AND HIS BROTHER has been published in Denmark, France, Norway, Belgium, Hungary, Iceland, Germany, and Italy: the impact on audiences is obvious. This is one of those rare books that is understated, sophisticated, and deceptively complex in nature.

Jonas narrates the story as the only child of a mother and father whose first son Paul died at age 15, three years before the birth of Jonas. As the family's sorrowful memories situation unfolds Jonas, now at age fifteen, feels the need to understand more about the brother he never knew. He discovers photographs, meets his mother's old friend Daniel who apparently knew Paul well, and slowly Jonas begins to find the defining aspects of his brother Paul: Paul was a dreamer and different from the rest of his classmates. The events of his 'accidental death' of being hit by a train disturb Jonas so deeply that he must discover facts that shroud the memory of Paul. Slowly he uncovers the fact that Paul had discovered love in the form of a Czech lad name Petr: Jonas finds his brother's diary and slowly unravels the mysteries that surround his brother's death, mysteries that involve a misunderstanding of the fate of Petr. From Jonas' investigations he comes to understand Paul, and Petr, and Daniel, and even his parents, connecting with the spirit of Paul with a love so deep that as the subtitle states 'Love Bigger Then Life' makes Jonas and Paul blend into one being.

Reviewing a book as strong as MY BROTHER AND HIS BROTHER: LOVE BIGGER THAN LIFE is a task that could dilute the impact of the story if too much is revealed. It is tempting to share the many beautiful passages and phrases that bloom throughout this novel, but in doing so the surprises that make the novel so powerful would be diminished. Suffice it to say that this is a book that is a must read for everyone who loves fine literature. It is one of the most compelling love stories to be published in a long time. The cover is a haunting image of a beautiful pensive lad courtesy of Bruno Gmünder Verlag photographer Howard Roffman and designer Frank Schröder. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp