Review: Brother/Sister by Sean Olin

Title: Brother/Sister
Author: Sean Olin
Pages: 242 (ARC copy)
Publisher: Razorbill
Release Date: June 9, 2011

Will and Asheley have a troubled past. Their father left them when they were little, and their mother has just been carted off to an alcohol treatment center. Now, they have the house to themselves, and an endless California summer stretching out before them. Through alternating perspectives, they tell the story of how and why their lives spun violently out of control—right up to the impossibly shocking conclusion you'll have to read for yourself to believe.

My Thoughts: Before I started the book, I read reviews that said that the ending was shocking and surprising. Now that I've finally read it, I have to say that I agree. I was not expecting it to end that way at all. It made me question everything else in the book. And now I'm wishing the entire book got a reaction out of me like the ending did because maybe I would have liked it more.

Will and Asheley are siblings. Their father left them when they were really young, and their mother is a complete drunk. For their entire lives, Will and Asheley have never felt normal. Because of the way they grew up, they have social problems and aren't very trusting of others. But things seem to be finally improving for them. Asheley is starting to socialize with the girls on her softball team, and Will is doing great in golf and he's getting noticed by girls. Their mother has even been sober for a couple of months. That feeling of normalcy doesn't last though, and Will and Asheley's lives being to spiral out of control.

Will was weird and creepy, and I just did not like him. He had anger and jealousy issues. Asheley was... Well, after that ending, I'm really confused about her and her relationship with her brother. I don't know what to think about either of them. Both were very paranoid people. I know I don't feel sorry for them, no matter how bad their home-life was. Honestly, they deserve what's coming to them.

All in all, I thought this was an okay read. I was never really hooked until the very last page, and I wish I had felt something for the characters. It was a strange and kind of disturbing book, so if you're curious, check it out.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Thanks to LibraryThing & Penguin for the ARC.