This book wasn’t for me. It was lacking in depth
The characters were under developed.
This book did nothing for me

It pains me to say I DNFed this book at about 10%. This ARC was missing 90% of the story's punctuation, which made it too hard for me to read.

This novel was rich in landscape and palpable tension. It evokes such harsh emotions, whilst simultaneously presented in blunt prose. The nature of the novel is hard hitting and rather unsettling, as we deal with domestic violence, trauma and unrequited freedom. I really enjoyed this

I did like what this tried to do but it didn't work entirely for me. The writing was fine but this could have been a much more interesting book as i found the story a bit too slow and meandering for me. The writing style was fine but needed a bit more tightening up for my liking.

I would like to extend my gratitude to the author, publisher and NetGalley for sending me this advanced reader’s copy in return for a fair, frank, and honest review.

Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this book despite reading 50% of it. I was determined to enjoy it, but this was not the case. I feel that despite the characters being well developed and interesting I got really confused at points. I think the issue may be that a lot of meaning was lost in translation. This book I will still give 3 stars as it was not the fault of the author that this meaning was lost in translation. That is just my honest opinion.

DNF - unfortunately despite trying this a couple of times, I couldn't quite click with this book. I think it's a personal taste issue, rather than the book itself. The writing style is blunt and choppy and alongside the dark content I just found it a little hard to get into, though the atmosphere of the novel was fantastically built and supported by the writing style. I have been gravitating towards lighter-hearted reads recently, though, so it's entirely possible this was a case of wrong reader at the wrong time.

Firstly, a huge thank you to Pushkin Press and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

CW: Domestic violence, child abuse, sexual assault, animal abuse, suicide, incest.

After being away from her childhood home for several years, Jana returns to the decrepit farmhouse that not only houses her deep childhood trauma but also her twin brother Bror. Being back home causes Jana to face the past that she has been doing everything she can to run away from.

As you can see by the content warnings My Brother is a heavy read, and a dark one, which is something I enjoy. It took awhile for me to get into this novel, it was quite slow starting and whilst there were elements of mystery of Jana’s past and of Maria, it didn’t have enough tension at first. However, once more began to be revealed and we started getting flashbacks into Jana’s childhood it really gripped me.

Whilst the content does make for uncomfortable reading, this is also down to Smirnoff’s writing style. With short, blunt, sentences and incredibly detailed descriptions, even when what she’s describing are quite mundane things – or typical of everyday life. I felt that this was also achieved through the way the dialogue is written. It is often very confusing at first as it isn’t always entirely obvious who it is that is speaking. Sometimes this could make scenes difficult to understand, however it did lend itself well to making conversations more disconcerting.

However, what stood out to me the most in this book was how complex the characters were. It seemed as though every character had something dark hidden in their past. As the entire novel was told from Jana’s perspective, it made it especially difficult to work out who to trust. I found it difficult to like Jana at first, she was very closed off to everyone around her which didn’t make it easy to get to know her. However, as one name progresses and more is revealed about her past and her previous relationships, I then found myself becoming more endeared to her.

There were a lot of characters in this novel that appear in both Jana’s past and present. Similarly to Jana, hardly any of them were likeable at first (or in some cases at all). This isn’t a bad thing, however, as it was very clear which characters you are supposed to detest and in learning more about Jana’s childhood, it helped you form attachments to characters in the present. For example, seeing what her brother Bror was like as a child made it easier to like him as an adult. This didn’t excuse his behaviour in the present but helped you understand it. John was another interesting character that we see a lot of during the novel, but at the same time we don’t know much about him at all. My feelings towards John constantly changed, throughout the novel it felt as though the more we learned about him the less sure about him I was until we reached the end.

Overall, once I got around 40% into the book I really began to enjoy it and found myself really invested in the characters. If you enjoyed The Discomfort of Evening by Marieke Lucas Rijneveld, I definitely think you will enjoy this too!

After years away, Jana returns to the Swedish village she grew up in. There is only her twin brother Bror left of her family. But as soon as she arrives, all the memories of her childhood come back. Her father, a brutal alcoholic who used to beat their mother and the kids, the mother who only ever told them to pray but never stepped in against the violence the kids had to endure. All those things Jana wanted to forget resurface, but there are also other things she wants to know after all this time: where is her daughter and who was Maria?

“I always assumed that something was wrong with me. The classic therapy answer was that I ended up in the same situation again and again in order to relive my childhood. “

Karin Smirnoff‘s novel lives on a very gloomy atmosphere. A snowstorm sets the mood on the very first page. Just as the fierce and merciless nature, the people also treat each other without too much softness in this remote area in the north. It is a story of violence and abuse, of adults looking away, not protecting children and a community which prefers to remain silent over stepping in. The result are scars on the outside and inside and two childish souls marked forever.

“All one can do is pray she said. And how we prayed. Childish prayers for help. “

Jana and Bror’s childhood is the most horrible story to imagine. Afraid of the father, every week hoping that he might die before returning to their home on Friday evening when he used to first drink and then hit whoever got in his way. The mother weak on the one hand, herself victim of constant beating, maybe having given up the hope for a better life, on the other hand, ignoring what her husband does to the kids. Surely not a novel easy to read. Bror’s addiction and Jana‘s tendency to end up with men who show similar patterns like her father are the logic consequence.

Yet, there is more than the inner circle of the family, the whole village is full of secrets, things which are common knowledge but never told which Jana, now a grown-up and strong woman, uncovers.

To call the novel an enjoyable read would be totally inadequate, there is nothing to enjoy when reading about child abuse and domestic violence. However, the characters are authentically drawn and the dynamics within the village are interesting to observe.

I didn't quite like this or enjoy it at all. I have a feeling most of the plot was lost in translation. The characters are easily forgettable and there's literally no plot. It was so confusing.

The first in what seems to becoming a series, starts with twins finding themselves returning to where they lived. Rural and epic in landscape, deep and heartbreaking in loss, and truth.

I really love this cover - but the narrative is so extreme that it almost feels like a parody of Scandi-bleak. It's definitely a story where everything is thrown in: twins, abuse, death, weird people... The writing style with its very short sentences with jarring juxtapositions and no punctuation other than full stops will either appeal or not - I found it obtrusive and a barrier. But it does contribute to the jittery, uneasy vibe of the book. Likely to be a marmite book.

“Our jana is a comfortable soul to have around. Rarely says what she thinks. Doesn’t ask uncalledfor questions. Demands no answers. Sits in the kitchen eating what’s left on other people’s plates. She was the one. She who comes when needed. I.

I am clear about what’s going on but will keep myself to myself. Stand by and watch as bror drinks himself to death.

I have no real friends. Because the only real friend I have had will soon be buried. I leave those who say they love. I am jealous and grudging. I have sex without contraception because if I get pregnant I will have it terminated. I take pleasure in revenge. I shoot animals during the mating season. I despise my workmates because they are overweight and dull. There are times when I want to cause pain. I could probably kill.”

My Brother is Dr Anna Paterson’s translation of Karin Smirnoff’s 2018 Swedish langusge novel ‘Jag for net till bror,’ the first of the award-winning and best-selling Jana Kippo trilogy comprising ‘Vi for upp med mor’ (2019) and ‘Sen for jag hem’ (2020). Google (sorry!) translates the original titles as I went down to my brother, We went up with mother, Then I went home.

The English translation is published by Pushkin Press - and thanks to them, via Netgalley, for the ARC.

In this first volume, the first person narrator, Jana, returns to her hometown Smalånger in rural northern Sweden to visit her alcoholic twin brother bror (as he is referred by everyone, albeit bror is Swedish for brother) and the family home.

“We were born just a few minutes apart and are alike in many ways. Especially in how we look. We are thin and gingery, with straggly unpigmented hair. We are so bleakly unremarkable that nobody used to remember either of us as somebody. Only as the twins.

Even though we came from different eggs we mostly behaved just the way people expect from twins.”

And the purpose of her return is to confront the troubled family history. From the first pages there is a sense of something off, something sinister lurking in the family background, including some drip-fed sinister hints, which is also echoed in the strikingly off-kilter narrative style, captured wonderfully by Paterson, with minimal punctuation, lack of capitalization and runon words, which also serves to give the narration a sense of urgency:

“You know nothing about john said bror. He isn’t a bad man but you know nothing whatever about him. No I don’t and he knows nothing about me I said. Well nothing except that I murdered my father but I guess everyone knows that. Yes said my brother everyone knows that. Though he didn’t die.”

And:

“The tapeworm kept up lowlevel gnawing however hard I tried to focus on neutral things like cleansingsoap colgate stomatol almawin cleaningfluid shavingfoam and timotei shampoo.”

Jana moves back into the family farm with bror, takes up with another local man john, and accepts a role in the local social services, smalångerhomecareservices as she refers to it, as a homecarer for the elderly and dying, all of which enables her to probe the secrets of both her own family and of the community generally. And the community doesn’t exactly lack secrets, as Jana remarks at one point:

“I’m so fed up with all these stories I said. Why can’t anyone be normal just for once. And look normal. Say normal things.”

To give one example (no spoiler needed as the basic story is revealed early on and then examined relentlessly by Jana like a tongue probing the cavity in a rotting tooth), her new lover john was married to maria. Maria was unfaithful, sleeping with many of the married men in the community, most recently bror. Then maria was found dead, but it is unclear if by suicide or murder and if the latter, the community and police have john and bror as prime suspects.

“So the police were looking into her death I said.
Of course they did. What did you expect. A dead woman found in the grass near the sawmill and it turns out she has slept with most of the married men in the village. And a number of others as well. On top of that one of the suspects is a convicted murderer.
Who I asked. Me of course he said.”

And then to add to the mix, john suggests that maria is actually bror and jana’s half-sister.

As for jana herself, she seems selfdestructive in her own choice of relationships, ending up with men who are either violent or alcoholic or both, although as she points out people tend to blame her, and she isn’t the one with the alcohol or violence problem.

Overall a powerful story, brilliantly translated, and I really hope that a) Pushkin and Anna Paterson soon bring out volumes 2 and 3 of the trilogy and b) this features in the International Booker, albeit I can see it splitting opinion in the way that this year’s winner Discomfort of Evening did.

4.5 stars, rounded to 4 pending the completion of janakippo’s tale, albeit the book functions well as a stand-alone novel.

If you like a bleak, Scandinavian novel then this could be for you. Something was quite odd about the narrative, and even now I can't quite put my finger on it... either the translation isn't quite right or the author likes an unusual sentence structure. It kind of adds to the uneasiness of the story which unfolds. Who is Maria? What happened to her? What is the back story of Bror. Odd but enjoyable in that depressing way that the Scandinavians do so well.

3 - 4 rounded up.

Jana Kippo is visiting her twin brother Bror in their old family home in Smalånger in the north of Sweden. This is a darkly shocking tale as her visit causes her to examine their horrifying past.

First of all, this is definitely not an easy read, partly because of the harrowing cruelty portrayed but also because of the way it’s written. The style is strange and takes some getting used to as there is little punctuation such as speech marks. Bror and Jana are so damaged by their horrific childhood experiences, it appears as if history is repeating itself in some ways, as they are on a course of self destruction. Jana likes to be in control and to clean which is very symbolic whilst Bror drinks. Adding into the mix are tensions in the community between various characters, leading to violence and acts of revenge. The author keeps giving little information bombs which adds fuel to the already incendiary atmosphere. The harsh far northern latitudes and ice cold weather matches the events, the landscape is tough, the people are tough, some are secretive, some act in a contradictory manner and there are lies and fear. I like the end which seems more optimistic as it suggests that the twins are moving on to some much needed happiness which is a relief all round!

Overall, this is a weird book, it’s by no means easy to read but I’m glad I have. It’s brutal, unrelenting and a difficult read though I doubt I’ll forget it in a hurry. It’s certainly not for the fainthearted.

With thanks to NetGalley and Pushkin Press for the arc.

This was a strange book,but a good one.
I can't even begin to describe the who's and whys.
I felt unsettled for a lot of it,not knowing where the story would turn next,or to be able to figure out the characters motives.
At a loss as to what else to say,other than read it!