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 Suspense/Mysteries

Read Greg's review of

Brother.

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​This was the perfect book to reintroduce me to the horror genre.  My husband has been nagging…I mean…asking me to read this book for quite some time now.  He was so sure that this would be right up my alley.  Well, I can honestly say that he knows me very well.  I almost feel guilty for admitting that I enjoyed it as much as I did.  I mean, there must be something wrong with me for being so into a story that is as twisted and horrific as this one, right?  The story pulled me in immediately and kept me glued to the pages until the very end.

Brother tells the story of the Morrow family.  They live in a remote area in West Virginia, far enough from other people to make their lifestyle feasible.  The Morrows are not your typical rural family (thank heavens).  Their family dynamic, activities, and home life are the breeding ground of true monsters.

In my opinion, humans are the scariest monsters of all.  These monsters are real, not imagined beings or creatures that we’ve equated as monsters since our early childhoods.  Ania Ahlborn has tapped into our fears of the evil that could be lurking in our own neighborhood.  We know that people like this do exist.  We’ve heard their stories on the nightly news, in newspaper articles, and on “ripped from the headlines” television shows.  

Brother focuses on the relationship between Michael and Rebel.  While Michael, the younger of the brothers, is forced to follow Rebel’s rules and instructions, he is often reluctant but resigned to his role in the family.  Rebel revels in the activities that the family partakes in, truly feeding on it all.  Michael doesn’t take the pleasure in it that his brother does.  It’s just a means to an end in his own survival in the Morrow household. 

Brother is not without its share of twists and turns.  Just when I thought that it couldn’t get any more heinous and despicable – it did.  It kept me on the edge of my seat and flipping the pages as fast as I could to find out how it would all end.  Ania Ahlborn did a fantastic job of weaving this creepy tale of family dysfunction. 

Brother may make you take a second glance at the guy working behind the counter at the hardware store, your co-worker in the next cubicle, or even your sweet, helpful neighbor down the lane.  Most people have skeletons in their closets…we just hope that they’re not real.

*5 Stars