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Brother
Brother | David Chariandy
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review
Sunwren
Brother | David Chariandy
Pickpick

This was a lovely story about sadness and triumph. I enjoyed it but was sad most of the time reading it.

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mirnas
Brother | David Chariandy
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Pickpick

Very emotional and powerfull story about growing up in Scarbourough's immigrant community. By going back and forth in time, this novels tells a story about migrants frim Trinidad to Canada and their sens of belonging. Loved it!

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Nitpickyabouttrains
Brother | David Chariandy
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Pickpick

A man‘s friend returns home and it brings up his history and his brother.

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Bookalong
Brother | David Chariandy
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Pickpick

5/5🌟Read this book! I had it on my tbr pile for so long, and I'm so glad I finally read it! It's a brilliantly written novel exploring themes of identity, race, mother-son relationships, and masculinity. Chariandy prose are mesmerizing as he writes about Michael and Francis. Two brothers with different dreams. Then one day a tragic shooting changes everything! I couldn't put this down, an emotionally powerful novel! Highly Recommended!

17 likes2 stack adds
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runswithscissors007
Brother | David Chariandy
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Pickpick

I really liked this one. Four stars/5. I finished it in two days. (Very quick for me)
It was a family‘s story but also a community‘s story. Heart wrenching on both accounts. Tender on both accounts. Tight, clever and yet lush. It feels like an important book that explores masculinity, racism, poverty, police violence and family.
I know the neighbourhood and have read the newspaper stories.. this book is a much needed contextualization. 🖤

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runswithscissors007
Brother | David Chariandy
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New book club book is Canadian!
I got it yesterday which was Read Canada Day 🇨🇦.... not to be confused with Canada reads.

One paragraph in. Whoa.

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xicanti
Brother | David Chariandy
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Without spoilers: CANADA READS WAS SO EMOTIONAL TODAY OMG.

I‘ve kept track of this thing for three years now, and 2019 was definitely my favourite set of debates. I feel like the panelists respected all the books and were willing to engage with new perspectives even as they mounted passionate defences of their own titles. The lack of vitriol was also a nice change, especially compared to 2017‘s angry-making commentary. #canadareads

StephanieMarie I agree wholeheartedly! I was definitely teary eyed watching today's debates. 5y
xicanti @StephanieMarie it was an inspiring note to end on. 5y
TobeyTheScavengerMonk So how does this format work? Are authors arguing for the superiority of their own books or is it a group of selected panelists supporting their favorites? I honestly can‘t conceive of something like this happening in the US. 5y
See All 7 Comments
TobeyTheScavengerMonk Actually I can but it involves ranking authors by hotness and there‘s an obstacle course over water involved. 5y
xicanti @TobeyTheScavengerMonk five book-loving Canadian celebrities each argue in favour of a recentish Canadian book they think the entire country should read. There‘s always a general theme to the debates—this year‘s was One Book To Move Us—and a moderator who keeps the discussion focused by asking questions inspired by the panelists‘ own comments. It goes on for four days and is broadcast first live on the radio, then on TV nationwide. 5y
TobeyTheScavengerMonk I would watch the hell right out of that. 5y
xicanti @TobeyTheScavengerMonk it‘s excellent. 5y
42 likes7 comments
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Blueberry
Brother | David Chariandy
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megnews Sounds really good! Thanks for sharing! 5y
51 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Blueberry
Brother | David Chariandy
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1. Meet up with friend to visit and bible study.
2. Free tuition for a Univ of Cal after having some past years of losing jobs.
3. Tagged
4. Chief Joseph
5. 🍀☘🧚‍♂️ @NataliePatalie

#Friyayintro @howjessreads

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DebB117
Brother | David Chariandy
Pickpick

Powerful tale of immigrants raising their children in a new culture, of family and community and of intolerance. Poetic and riveting.

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academiconbreak
Brother | David Chariandy
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Pickpick

As a younger sister to a sister, I did not expect a portrait of masculinity thru a brother's eyes to be so tender, even as it gave lessons on male posturing, and how one's tastes define a man. The book hits tender spots in the heart, spots discovered more than known. It also had my heart in my throat at every turn; reading the black experience, past every corner is the threat of police posturing and its devastating costs. #canadareads #1bk2moveu

16 likes2 stack adds
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BookishTrish
Brother | David Chariandy
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Pickpick

Important and moving, but by no means my favourite #CanadaReads shortlister

Suzze Suzanne and Brother are on my want to read list. Even though I‘m an American, my roots are Canadian. I try to read a lot of Canadian books. I even have a Goodreads shelf for Canadian books. I‘d love some suggestions i may not be aware of. 5y
Melissa_J I want By Chance Alone to win - will be interested to see if your view of what should win will change after you read it - followed by Homes and Brother. I‘m so curious to see how it all turns out. I don‘t see Suzanne resonating with readers like the other books should, but I‘m usually surprised by the winner and I doubt this year will be any different. 5y
StephanieMarie My want to win is conflicted between Brother and By Chance Alone, with Homes close behind. I really loved Suzanne but I found the others more powerful in regards to current issues. I always find though that my opinions really change during the debates, depending on how well the book is defended - last year I endes up cheering for what I originally thought was my least favourite book because of how well the defense was! 5y
See All 9 Comments
BookishTrish @StephanieMarie Which book was that? 5y
StephanieMarie @BookishTrish American War. I thought Tahmoh Penikett did an amazing job defending it and it completely changed my opinion of the book 5y
JacqMac I want Homes to win, with By Chance Alone a close second. But I wouldn‘t be sad if Brother wins either. Those three were pretty amazing. I couldn‘t finish Susanne. I‘m looking forward to hearing the debates. I am open to having my mind changed. Lol 5y
AlaMich What did you think of The Woo-Woo? I just DNFed it halfway through. 5y
BookishTrish @AlaMich I thought it was pretty good but wish the author created less distance between the reader and the material. 5y
AlaMich @BookishTrish I listened to it on audio and maybe that colored my opinion. To me it felt like she related all these awful events very clinically, like a laundry list. But it‘s hard to critique memoirs because it‘s hard to separate the writing from the writer‘s life. 5y
61 likes9 comments
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BookishTrish
Brother | David Chariandy
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I‘m halfway through this short novel and want to love it but can‘t quite yet. While moments are well-drawn, evocative and beautiful (the MC delighting in drinking a drop of Sprite that had touched Aisha‘s lip), parts seem over the top (the mother‘s late night attempt to phone Francis). Did anyone else have this reaction? #Canadareads

ErikasMindfulShelf Didn‘t love it either. 5y
xicanti I was disappointed with this one. It feels Important, capitalization necessary, but I didn't click with the prose style. 5y
61 likes2 comments
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BookishTrish
Brother | David Chariandy
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Ever the optimist #MarchTBR

Reagan Devil Sharks! 5y
BookishTrish @Reagan-reads Doo do doo Do Do Do 5y
Reagan Haha noooooo! It‘s in my head now! 5y
105 likes3 comments
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deneb
Brother | David Chariandy
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Pickpick

Outstanding. Poetic. Images of a suburb of Toronto, life of the first generation. Hard truths. Respect. Frustration. Love.

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StephanieMarie
Brother | David Chariandy
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#bookanddinner tonight. Working on a #canadareads book 😁

Melissa_J I‘m reading this one at the moment too. 5y
12 likes1 stack add1 comment
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JacqMac
Brother | David Chariandy
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Pickpick

I had to sit with this book for awhile after I finished it. For a little book, it has many layers. The author gives you the top layer, but there is so much more that runs deep. It‘s mostly a story about grief and loss. But it also touches on so many other big and heavy things. It really is beautifully written. And is well worth reading. The more I think about it, the more I like it.
#CanadaReads2019

Trashcanman 👀 5y
58 likes1 comment
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Blueberry
Brother | David Chariandy
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My public library and Overdrive have only one of the #CanadaReads books available to me this year. 😫
Sigh...I'll try interlibrary loans next.

#CanadaReads2019

mreads Same here, it's so sad, Canada is right there ⬆️. Why is it so hard to get Canadian books. 😕 5y
54 likes1 comment
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TheKidUpstairs
Brother | David John Chariandy
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The video for the Barenaked Ladies' cover of #LoversinaDangerousTime is a love letter to Scarborough. Watch it here: https://youtu.be/yGsDlb2ziAk

Chariandy's Brother (current #CanadaReads selection) is very much a Scarborough story with a strong sense of place. Now, to find time to read it...

#TimbitTunes @Cinfhen

Cinfhen I really enjoyed that video 😍thanks for posting the link 5y
JacqMac Thanks for the link. I‘m reading this one now. 5y
79 likes2 comments
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xicanti
Brother | David Chariandy
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Mehso-so

My first #CanadaReads selection is in the bag, and I'm afraid I won't be rooting for it. BROTHER is carefully crafted, slow to reveal its secrets, and absolutely of importance to the Canadian literary landscape. Its prose style also kept me at a distance. I felt like I was skimming along the surface until well into Chapter 4. Even then, I wanted more than Chariandy gave me.

Part of the distance is understandable, given the subject matter, and ⬇️

xicanti part of it's just down to how my brain is wired. Chariandy's syntax often hit my mental ear the wrong way. Sentences like, "I put on the table a cup of tea," aren't incorrect, by any means, but they're also the type of thing I find so jarring that I have to immediately rewrite them in my head. This probably won't be an issue for most readers. 5y
TheKidUpstairs Very interesting and balanced review. I'm pretty excited about the Canada Reads selections this year, some very intriguing stories and diverse books! 5y
43 likes2 comments
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Bibliogeekery
Brother | David Chariandy
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How have I only read one of the Canada Reads finalists? Must getting reading! What do people recommend besides Brother (which I loved!) 🇨🇦📚

saresmoore I haven‘t even heard of any besides Brother, which I also loved! 5y
JacqMac I haven‘t read any. Brother is on it‘s way to my house, though. 5y
Melissa_J I‘m reading By Chance Alone right now, and bought Brother last night. They all sound good so I don‘t think you can go wrong with any of the remaining books. 5y
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gradcat Thanks for the post—you given me more book ideas 💡 📖 👍 5y
Penny_LiteraryHoarders The one on that list that intrigues me the most is Suzanne. I've read Brother too and it was so good. Bit pissed to see Boy on the Beach not make the shortlist. 😒 5y
Bibliogeekery @gradcat my pleasure! 5y
Bibliogeekery @Penny_LiteraryHoarders I was sad This Accident of Being Lost didn't make it. The author is my friend. 5y
Penny_LiteraryHoarders @Bibliogeekery it's the way it always is with Canada Reads eh? 😏 5y
61 likes9 comments
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BittersweetBooks
Brother | David John Chariandy
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Even as kids, we had learned to be gentle with each other‘s hopes and dreams 🎶

20 likes1 stack add
review
mrozzz
Brother | David Chariandy
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Pickpick

Michael & Francis grow up taking care of themselves while their mother works hard on their behalf. Children of immigrants, there are high expectations of them to succeed but Francis, the elder, is dissuaded from following the acceptable path, rebelling and getting into trouble, eventually leaving school & receiving a reputation on the streets. A bright spot is the music he mixes with a friend, but that soon comes to a screeching halt as well. 👇🏻

mrozzz Con‘d: The story flips b/t present day when Adult Michael is hosting a friend from the neighborhood visiting her ailing father, & the roiling past when Francis was planning on packing up and leaving the Park behind. The pacing hides secrets the boys have & the problems (with their mother especially) they choose to ignore. Racism, stereotypes, violence, family clashes- are all included here and wrapped in a simple but beautifully written tale. 6y
104 likes2 stack adds1 comment
review
crazyspine
Brother | David John Chariandy
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Pickpick

Even though Chariandy's latest novel deals with subject matter that is very popular in literature right now, Brother is unlike anything I've read recently. Reminds me if Carver almost just in the emotional detachment of the narrator. Haunting.

Trashcanman 👁️👁️ 6y
82 likes1 stack add1 comment
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crazyspine
Brother | David John Chariandy
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@Samplergal #twointhree It's supposed to rain in Philly area, so I'm game.

Samplergal Yay! It‘s supposed to rain here in SoFlo too. Bleh. 6y
54 likes1 comment
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ErikasMindfulShelf
Brother | David Chariandy
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Pickpick

I need to stop getting library books. I have so many of my own books I want to read. 🤷🏼‍♀️

megnews Always my same problem! 6y
saresmoore I, too, borrowed this from the library when I probably shouldn‘t have. It was so worth it, though! 6y
crazyspine I'm just starting this today. At least it's short, so hopefully we can move quickly on to our TBR. 6y
Trashcanman 👁️👁️ 6y
72 likes1 stack add4 comments
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mcctrish
Brother | David Chariandy
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Pickpick

Brother was the book picked by my city‘s library to be read by everyone in their annual citywide book club ( I live in London, ON) I didn‘t read it in time to go 😢 it‘s a quiet, sad and heart breaking. Poverty makes everything grey.

28 likes2 stack adds
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TheBookDream
Brother | David Chariandy
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Pickpick

This book is simply wonderful. Finished it in a single afternoon. Tough, but excellent. #underemployedadventures

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Well-ReadNeck
Brother | David Chariandy
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#LibraryHaul

Started The Third Hotel the second I got my hot little hands on it!!

TheBookStacker I really enjoyed Brother 6y
Samplergal Was one strange book. I‘ll be interested in your opinion. I think I missed something. 6y
112 likes2 comments
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TheBookDream
Brother | David Chariandy
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Ghostsheen showing off what we got from the library. #library #pusheen #ghost #falliscoming #underemployedadventures

Megara Cute bag and ghostsheen! 6y
TheBookDream @Megara Thanks! The bag was from B and N a while back. Unfortunately, it tends to tear at that straps. I don‘t understand because Joann has the matching bag in red and it doesn‘t do that 😕 6y
30 likes2 comments
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saresmoore
Brother | David Chariandy
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More backyard reading with this remarkable little book. David Chariandy pulled me right into this story and I read more than half of it in one sitting, yesterday. I didn‘t realize how heavy it was until I stopped and needed a break before finishing. Superb writing and a beautiful & powerful story.

saresmoore Thanks to @Lindy for posting about this—it was excellent! @batsy & @Moray_Reads, if you haven‘t added it already, I recommend this for the TBR. It‘s a short book, but beautifully written and quite powerful. 6y
batsy This sounds pretty amazing. I stacked it awhile back, thanks to Lindy no doubt 😊 6y
77 likes7 stack adds2 comments
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TheBookStacker
Brother | David Chariandy
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Went to the pool for 2 hours and now I‘m burnt and tired. Vegas sun and heat ain‘t no joke. Finished a book at the pool so I plan to start this now.

ladym30 Adorable kitty! 6y
Lcsmcat 😻😻 6y
68 likes2 comments
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BookishMe
Brother | David Chariandy
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review
Lindy
Brother | David Chariandy
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Pickpick

“Memory‘s the muscle sting of now.” A song of grief for a senseless death. A fierce and tender novel about second generation Trinidadian Canadians: two brothers, one of them gay, growing up in poverty in the 80s, surrounded by both overt and systemic racism. Full of emotion. #LGBT #CanadianAuthor

47 likes3 stack adds
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Lindy
Brother | David Chariandy
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There were restaurants with an average expiry date of a year, their hand-painted signs promising ice cream with the “back home tastes” of mango and khoya and badam kulfi, a second sign written urgently in red marker promising that they‘d also serve, whenever asked, the mystery of “Canadian food.”

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Lindy
Brother | David Chariandy
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Last summer, Dru knocked on the door. He was visiting his sister, still in the neighbourhood, and beside him was a boy of maybe five, his son, the fattest eyes you‘ve ever seen, although already he could posture, chinning me a quick hello in a way that made me laugh.

Lindy These small descriptions of behaviours give me insight into a particular male world. 6y
saresmoore This really is a fascinating insight. Do you think there‘s an equivalent in females? 6y
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Lindy
Brother | David Chariandy
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The world around us was named Scarborough. It had once been called Scarberia, a wasteland on the outskirts of a sprawling city. But now, as we were growing up in the early 80s, in the heated language of a changing nation, we heard it called other names: Scarlem, Scarbistan. We lived in Scar-bro, a suburb that had mushroomed up and yellowed, browned, and blackened into life.

MayJasper I have lived in Scarborough as has my dear friend who now lives in Pickering, but on another continent 6y
Lindy @MayJasper I‘m guessing your Scarborough is nothing like the Canadian Scarborough. 😉 6y
See All 7 Comments
Lindy @MayJasper Beautiful! Is there a fair (as in the song)? 6y
MayJasper Not specifically that can think of. There may have been a traveling fair annually. That tradition is still carried in today in some places. I live in Nottingham and we have a very large annual fair called Goose Fair. But nationwide it is less common nowadays than in times past. 6y
Lindy @MayJasper Your reply prompted me to google the question. Wikipedia says the annual 45-day fair took place in the Middle Ages. Sounds like it used to be a really big thing. 6y
MayJasper Wow that's some fair. 6y
46 likes1 stack add7 comments
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LeahBergen
Brother | David Chariandy
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#ToBeYoungGiftedAndBlack

A few from my TBR mountain.

#FierceFeb

batsy Nice! I looked up Brother... Sounds like a must-read 👍 6y
Cinfhen The Icarus Girl, is that the same author as 6y
Cinfhen I didn't realize she was a black author... I need to bump that book up my TBR list 6y
See All 6 Comments
LeahBergen @Cinfhen Yes, it‘s the same author. This was her first book. 🙂 6y
LeahBergen @batsy It won this year‘s Writers‘ Trust Fiction Prize. 🇨🇦 6y
Moray_Reads I second @batsy. If it's in a pile with Yaa Gyasi and Helen Oyeyemi I want to read it! 6y
105 likes6 comments
review
Bibliogeekery
Brother | David Chariandy
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Pickpick

This book was excellent. This short, powerful book illustrates grief, loss, structural inequities faced by immigrant communities, violence and some deeply nuanced glances at masculinity. Marlon James, on a cover quote, says it's a 'brilliant, powerful elegy from a living brother to a lost one.' Its gorgeously written. It's sad but not only sad. Highly recommend!

Bakingbookworm I just got a copy from the library and requested one from the publisher. This book has a lot of hype. Glad to hear it‘s awesome! 6y
68 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Bibliogeekery
Brother | David Chariandy
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This book is so good. 💜

42 likes1 stack add
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Bibliogeekery
Brother | David Chariandy
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Next up!

callielafleur Oooooo pretty cover 😍😍😍 6y
candority I really enjoyed this one! I hope you like it 😊 6y
ephemeralwaltz 😍😍😍 6y
Bakingbookworm I got my copy today too! Can‘t wait to see what all the hype‘s about! 6y
56 likes2 stack adds4 comments
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reneelyons
Brother | David Chariandy
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Pickpick

There‘s so much packed into this slim book - Chariandy tackles major topics with precision and depth. 5/5 for me.

https://reneereadsbooks.wordpress.com/2018/01/16/book-review-brothr-by-david-cha...

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amyf0x
Brother | David John Chariandy
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Pickpick

Captures heart-wrenching moments in beautifully bleak prose.

Read Dec 31-Jan 3, 2018

DebbieGrillo Welcome to Litsy! #LitsyWelcomeWagon 6y
amyf0x Thanks @DebbieGrillo - I‘m excited about this app 😊 6y
DebbieGrillo It's worthy of excitement. 6y
Bibliogeekery Just read this book! Wasn't it gorgeous? 6y
2 likes4 comments
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Lindy
Brother | David Chariandy
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Jenny‘s 2018 goals inspired me to do the same: read more #CanadianAuthors in the coming year. Visit my blog post (with links to Jenny‘s) here: https://lindypratch.blogspot.co.nz/2018/01/new-years-reading-goal-more-canadian....
@ReadingEnvy @shawnmooney @CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian

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GirlWellRead
Brother | David Chariandy
Pickpick

The narrative shifts between past and present and it is the sheer force of it that drives the story. Short in length, but lasting, this story will linger with the reader long after the last page is turned.

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candority
Brother | David John Chariandy
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Pickpick

This book is short, but there is so much contained within the pages. It is the story of family, of brotherhood, of community, of loss and of mourning. It has left my heart aching, but also incredibly full. #CanadaReads2019

61 likes2 stack adds