Brother

This was properly creepy. The scary hick family in the woods has been a classic trope of American horror, but I don't think I have seen it done this well. The intriguing part here is we get to view it from a member within the family (Michael). He is very much a part of the horror they inflict upon the hapless people they imprison, but he does not gain much pleasure from it. Seeing the sadistic games that his family plays, the true history of himself unwinds in a horrific way. One of the creepiest books I have read!

this book was a bit slower and not as gory as people made it out to be. i still enjoyed the slower parts but the last quarter of the book was absolutely amazing and i loved the ending so much. the slower bits definitely also created tension that made the ending just explode and have me shook. if this book was a bit gorier it could have definitely gotten a 5 star from me 

Dark, but not as bad as I was expecting. This read like a movie, and I could picture the visuals really clear. I knew going into it that it would be more of a character study and not as thrilling, and even so, I found myself a bit bored. I wanted more from this. The ending was good, and this book gave me a whole array of emotions by feeling so sorry for the main character. 

This book is one of the few that truly grossed me out. The murder I was obviously expecting and fine with (weird thing to say) but the incest, rape, abuse, cannibalism, necrophilia, and overall gruesomeness was so much more than I was expecting. I had to stop reading and give myself a little break at times since I was so disgusted.

That isn't why I gave it three stars tough. I gave it three stars because I found the majority of the story pretty boring. The only thing fascinating and intriguing is the family dynamics. I also found it interesting that I didn't know whether to support Michael or be against him, like him or hate him, or feel any sympathy for him. The rest I found a little boring and predictable at times. It was still entertaining and unlike anything I've read leading up to it, but nothing spectacular happened in my opinion.

The last 20% of the book was fantastic. I feel the build up all made sense, it was written very well. But when he told Alice he was adopted and how old he was when he was adopted and her reaction, I 1000% knew she was his sister. I didn't know until it was revealed that his mother was who she was. So that was a little unexpected twist. I think this book represents trauma well. Obviously in the most extreme form but I believe these types of scenarios DO happen a lot more often than the world likes to admit. Ray “Rebel” was just a hurt little boy and Claudine was just a traumatized women who hated her younger self for what her trauma did to her. It's all and all so sad. Would highly recommend this one! Now I have to watch “Chains” to see the inspiration.

Brother by Ania Ahlborn, follows our protagonist, Michael, a 19-year-old trapped in an isolated family of cannibals.

I read this book in 2023 and it was undoubtedly my favourite book of the year, highly recommended for anyone looking for a gorey, bleak and completely hopeless book to feel awful about.

Okay, so I had to sit and stare at the wall for a good 20 minutes after finishing this book because, wow. Just wow. Everything I love wrapped up in one intense read.

This book was practically calling my name from the bookshelf. I'd be lost in The Stand or East of Eden, and there it was, whispering, “Read me, Sadie. Read me all up!” So, when I had a day off, I picked it up around 3 PM and couldn't put it down. The next thing I knew, it was dark, rainy, and I was forcing myself to stop reading at page 237. I even had to ignore my family and my baked potato dinner because this book was just that gripping.

Without giving too much away, let me just say that Brother grabbed me by the throat and didn't let go. It's raw, emotional, and powerful, leaving me with a whirlwind of thoughts about family, loss, and the darker sides of human nature. It twisted my insides, broke my heart, and made me think long after I finished it.

If you enjoyed this book, hit me up with recommendations because I need more like this in my life. Ania Ahlborn has just earned a spot among my favorite horror authors, and I'm eagerly waiting for whatever she serves up next.

Nothing like a little incest and cannibalism, am I right lol. Brother has been on my list for a while—alongside many other hyped up Ania Ahlborn books—but with all the word of mouth, I had expected it to be far grosser and much more depraved. Maybe I've just been desensitised from most shocks of the world, but there wasn't anything that made my jaw drop or eyes widen here. Don't get me wrong, still a fun read with some solid pacing and great character dynamics, but I wanted to get deeper into the juicy meat of it. Brother is far more predictable, but I will say that this did itch some of the scratches I had wanted from Donald Ray Pollock's The Devil All the Time. I do look forward to reading more of Ahlborn's works, and I do still recommend Brother, especially if you're a fan of Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Natural Born Killers, The Devil All the Time, Deliverance, and the Southern Bastards comic.

Adaptation Fancast:

- Michael: Jack Dylan Grazer
- Ray/Rebel: Rudy Pankow -JJ from obx
- Misty: Joey King
- Alice: Kiernan Shipka
- Claudine/Mama: Jennifer Jason Leigh
- Wade/Pa: Timothy Olyphant
- Lucy: Maya Hawke
- Laura-Lynn: Lio Tipton?