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Brother/Sister by Sean Olin
The Blurb On The Back:
WILL: How many times do I have to say it? Yes, I see the picture. It’s a ody, obviously. It’s a dead body.
ASHELEY: You have to understand, I love my brother. I’m scared of him too, but … regardless of what he has or hasn’t done I feel for him, you know.
WILL: I don’t care what happens to me, really, I don’t. But Ashley … she had nothing to do with any of this.
ASHELEY: It’s not like it sounds. He had a good heart. He trusted me. And I always did the best I could to help him.
WILL: It’s not her fault. None of it. Okay then. The guy in the photo. I killed him … but I had to. I had no choice. Why? That’s complicated. That’ll take a while.
Will and Ashley are a brother and sister who live in California with their alcoholic mother. Their father moved away when they were very young and while Will knows that he was no better than their mother, Ashley has a more idealised opinion and dreams of getting back in touch with him. Will is protective of his younger sister - almost overly protective at times - and the two have a close relationship but whereas Ashley’s always tried to fit in with people – playing in the school softball team and dating Craig, a popular school jock – Will keeps to himself and has few interests outside golf.
When their mother goes into rehab for the umpteenth time, Ashley agrees to host a party at their house as a way of getting back at Craig when he makes out with another girl. But when Craig shows up wanting to talk to her, events rapidly spiral out of control and it isn’t long before the siblings are on the run for murder …
Sean Olin has produced an interesting YA thriller, narrated by each of Will and Ashley who together recount to the police the events that led to a murder being committed. Olin does an excellent job of giving each character a distinctive voice, particularly the isolated and confused Will whose need to feel responsible and wanted was spawned by his childhood and whose feelings for his sister are too intense for either of them. Ashley is equally well depicted – aware of her brother’s feelings for her, intelligent and desperate to both fit in and get away – she is the unwitting and unwilling instigator of the book’s events. If I have one criticism, it’s that at times Will’s feelings for Ashley and the way he acts upon them touches a little too close to soap opera, especially a scene towards the end which I didn’t work for me in terms of the emotions.
There is a steady build-up of tension as the book’s events unfurl, each sibling giving their own take on what has happened and why it occurred. I won’t give away the final twist, but I thought it was neatly done and it did make me re-read the book to see what I’d missed the first time.
All in all, it’s an intelligent, interesting read and I look forward to seeing what Olin writes next.
The Verdict:
Sean Olin’s YA thriller has an interesting premise, well-drawn characters with strong first person voices and plenty of twists and turns to keep you interested. Although I felt that it came dangerously close to soap opera in a couple of places, it’s still worth checking out and I look forward to seeing what Sean Olin writes next.
BROTHER/SISTER was released in the UK on 4th August. Thanks to Penguin for the ARC of this book.
WILL: How many times do I have to say it? Yes, I see the picture. It’s a ody, obviously. It’s a dead body.
ASHELEY: You have to understand, I love my brother. I’m scared of him too, but … regardless of what he has or hasn’t done I feel for him, you know.
WILL: I don’t care what happens to me, really, I don’t. But Ashley … she had nothing to do with any of this.
ASHELEY: It’s not like it sounds. He had a good heart. He trusted me. And I always did the best I could to help him.
WILL: It’s not her fault. None of it. Okay then. The guy in the photo. I killed him … but I had to. I had no choice. Why? That’s complicated. That’ll take a while.
Will and Ashley are a brother and sister who live in California with their alcoholic mother. Their father moved away when they were very young and while Will knows that he was no better than their mother, Ashley has a more idealised opinion and dreams of getting back in touch with him. Will is protective of his younger sister - almost overly protective at times - and the two have a close relationship but whereas Ashley’s always tried to fit in with people – playing in the school softball team and dating Craig, a popular school jock – Will keeps to himself and has few interests outside golf.
When their mother goes into rehab for the umpteenth time, Ashley agrees to host a party at their house as a way of getting back at Craig when he makes out with another girl. But when Craig shows up wanting to talk to her, events rapidly spiral out of control and it isn’t long before the siblings are on the run for murder …
Sean Olin has produced an interesting YA thriller, narrated by each of Will and Ashley who together recount to the police the events that led to a murder being committed. Olin does an excellent job of giving each character a distinctive voice, particularly the isolated and confused Will whose need to feel responsible and wanted was spawned by his childhood and whose feelings for his sister are too intense for either of them. Ashley is equally well depicted – aware of her brother’s feelings for her, intelligent and desperate to both fit in and get away – she is the unwitting and unwilling instigator of the book’s events. If I have one criticism, it’s that at times Will’s feelings for Ashley and the way he acts upon them touches a little too close to soap opera, especially a scene towards the end which I didn’t work for me in terms of the emotions.
There is a steady build-up of tension as the book’s events unfurl, each sibling giving their own take on what has happened and why it occurred. I won’t give away the final twist, but I thought it was neatly done and it did make me re-read the book to see what I’d missed the first time.
All in all, it’s an intelligent, interesting read and I look forward to seeing what Olin writes next.
The Verdict:
Sean Olin’s YA thriller has an interesting premise, well-drawn characters with strong first person voices and plenty of twists and turns to keep you interested. Although I felt that it came dangerously close to soap opera in a couple of places, it’s still worth checking out and I look forward to seeing what Sean Olin writes next.
BROTHER/SISTER was released in the UK on 4th August. Thanks to Penguin for the ARC of this book.