"Betrayal, resentment, power games and cut-throat cunning - this darkly comic and compelling debut takes sibling rivalry to a whole new level."
Exploring deep-rooted family rifts and the perils of flying a little too close to the sun, this cautionary tale about two feuding brothers is emotionally charged from beginning to end. There’s no love lost between Michael and younger brother, Jack. But when their father dies, the brothers face a life-changing ultimatum: go into the family undertaking business together or forego their £4 million inheritance.
A no-brainer, surely? Or maybe not…This smart debut balances Machiavellian one-upmanship with the quirkier goings on of funeral-home life. Expect plenty of morbid humour and cheeky one-liners, particularly from unlikely embalmer, Royston McGinty – the sweary, tattooed ex-serviceman is such a gem!
Other side characters add a real richness to the story, helping to steady the brothers’ ships when their emotions – or ambitions – are running wild. Who knows how things would end up without Jen’s wise words or the soothing presence of Morty the dog? There are love interests of course, too, but ultimately Gravatt’s story is about our relationships with our family.
How what happens to us in our childhood can shape us for the good or the bad. And how sometimes we can only start to fix what is broken when we’re ready. The Better Brother is dotted with platitudes and puns - and some proper laugh out loud moments – but it’s also a novel that asks questions of us all.
How far we’re prepared to go, and what risks we’re prepared to take for money and power. A clever, witty, insightful read.
Michael Merriweather's carefully planned life is blown off course when he receives a call to tell him that his father has cremated himself. Michael then learns from a small-town lawyer that he stands to inherit a small fortune he previously knew nothing about, but only if he sacrifices his accountancy career to take over the family funeral business with his brother, Jack, whom he despises. Sucked back into the small provincial world and the family funeral firm he has rejected, Michael can no longer avoid his loathsome sibling.
| Primary Genre | Modern and Contemporary Fiction |
| Other Genres: |
Michael Merriweather's carefully planned life is blown off course when he receives a call to tell him that his father has cremated himself. Michael then learns from a small-town lawyer that he stands to inherit a small fortune he previously knew nothing about, but only if he sacrifices his accountancy career to take over the family funeral business with his brother, Jack, whom he despises.
The Better Brother features in the following genres: Modern and Contemporary Fiction, Family Drama, General Fiction, Fiction
Paperback. Not Available.
The Better Brother was written by Simon Gravatt and published by RedDoor Press
