The Better Brother

LoveReading Says

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.

Lindsay Quayle

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