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Summer Brother

By Jaap Robben
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Summer Brother tells the poignant story of thirteen-year-old Brian, who is suddenly responsible for his disabled older brother, Lucien, over the summer. Living with their indifferent father in a remote trailer, Brian navigates the challenges of caregiving without guidance, exploring the complexities of brotherly love and family dysfunction.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$4900

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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This novel will appeal to readers interested in emotional, character-driven stories about family dynamics, disability, and adolescence.

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In this honest, tender account of brotherly love, thirteen-year-old Brian is tasked with caring for his disabled older brother.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

LonGLISTED FOR THE INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE 2021

In this honest, tender account of brotherly love, thirteen-year-old Brian is tasked with caring for his disabled older brother.

Thirteen-year-old Brian lives in a trailer on a forgotten patch of land with his divorced and uncaring father. His older brother Lucien, physically and mentally disabled, has been institutionalised for years. While Lucien's home is undergoing renovations, he is sent to live with his father and younger brother for the summer. Their detached father leaves Brian to care for Lucien's special needs. But how do you look after someone when you don't know what they need? How do you make the right choices when you still have so much to discover?

Summer Brother is an honest, tender account of brotherly love, which will resonate with readers of Rain Man.

'A sensitive yet unsentimental depiction of poverty and disability from the perspective of an abled character.' - Kirkus Reviews

'A tragic tale of generational dysfunction.' - Publishers Weekly

'The book's language is precise and forthright as Brian observes, and portrays in stark terms, the intense, awkward, and lovely actions of those around him. Sharp exchanges reveal characters who are witty and earnest in equal measure. Summer Brother is a harrowing novel about dysfunctional family dynamics and the universal awkwardness of being a teenager.' - Foreword Reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781642860702

Publisher: World Editions

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 09 February 2021

Country: United States

Imprint: World Editions

Illustration: Illustrations

Contributors:

  • Translated by David Doherty

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 139.0mm

Height: 215.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 288

Collections

Fiction General Fiction Jaap Robben Literary Fiction

About the Author

JAAP ROBBEN is a poet, playwright, performer, and acclaimed children's author. You Have Me to Love, his first novel for adults, won the 2014 Dutch Booksellers Award, the Dioraphte Prize, and the ANV Award for best Dutch debut. Robben was chosen as one of the featured debut authors at the 2018 Brooklyn Book Festival. Summer Brother, a bestseller in the Netherlands, is his second novel.

DAVID DOHERTY studied English and literary linguistics in the UK before moving to Amsterdam, where he has been translating all manner of Dutch texts since 1996. He was commended by the jury of the 2017 Vondel Translation Prize for Marente de Moor's The Dutch Maiden and Jaap Robben's You Have Me to Love, and was runner-up in 2019 for his translation of Monte Carlo by Peter Terrin. Jaap Robben's Summer Brother, which Doherty most recently translated, was longlisted for the 2021 International Booker Prize.

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