8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
4.5 Stars, March 20, 2009
This story is heartbreakingly beautiful. Between Brothers is a sweet, tender, and sad story about a man who has put his little brother on a pedestal so high he thinks he's in love. No man can ever possibly measure up to Brian's idea of perfection that is his little brother Joey. It's a story about misplaced love and idolatry, not incest (as the title would suggest). There's no sibling sex. There's hardly any sex at all, for that matter. Just a semi-stream-of-consciousness account of Brian's struggles with emotions he can't control.
Joey's love for Brian is just as evident and just as strong as Brian's love for Joey, and is even sweeter in its own way.
I hate books that make me feel too many strong emotions at one time, but I loved this story. The feelings are real, the situation is believable, and the emotional impact is not the least bit contrived. The ending isn't a classical HEA, but it's not sad either. It's a nice, satisfying "happy for now", full of hope for the future.
This was so worth my time and money. I don't think I would ever be able to read it again because it left me so raw and drained, but I definitely feel satisfied with my purchase. This is a sweet, beautiful story I am proud to have read.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Incandescent, erotic, and heartbreaking in the best ways., July 5, 2011
Irritated by another appalling, mawkish, inept "brothers-themed" M/M title that I refuse to mention by name, I read this to clear my palate and was once again struck by the fact that J.M. Snyder isn't doing strict M/M anymore... and her talent is incandescent. While undeniably erotic, and romantic at times... the depth of characterization and subtle detail used to build up the family involved and the relationship at the center of the book is completely effective and moving for reasons that have nothing to do with romance and everything to do with love.
Snyder has such a feel for these damaged people and awkward family situations that incest is a perfect fit! Who knew? The only quibble is that it isn't actually romantic, just fraught with unspoken desire and trashy hookups and a tasty snapshot of these flawed folks who feel real after about 20 pages. What it isn't is a sloppy cartoon about hot brothers "getting it on," but Hoo-boy does she go there... in a visceral compelling way.
Brian is wonderful and horrible and irritating and tragic and seductive as a main character. His strange blend of anguish and self-awareness is delicious. Brother Joey is exactly the kind of steamy sex object that rings just true enough to be both hot and romantic. Their history and their futures are not cookie cutter romance products; frankly I doubt Snyder has much interest in that kind of pablum. Ironically the relationship she builds between them is compelling for exactly the reasons it should and shouldn't be. Again, read it and you'll catch my drift.
The only downside, is that for anyone who's hoping for a hot Bro-romance it isn't. Well, it is, but it isn't... you'll know what I mean when you've finished it. But it's well-written, beautifully paced, and deeply sexy. So not a slam dunk if you're wanting a specific, twisted HEA, but well worth the time. And hell, but Snyder can put words on paper and in your noggin!
Highly, highly recommended.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Between Brothers by J.M. Snyder, February 1, 2010
This review is from: Between Brothers (Paperback)
"Between Brothers" by J.M. Snyder is an extremely well written story that explores the various dimensions of love between two brothers with intelligence, sensitivity and thoughtfulness. This story is not about a sexual relationship between blood brothers meant to titillate and arouse. Rather, it delves deeply and honestly into the complexities of Brian's feelings of sexual desire and romantic love for his brother Joey, all the while examining the broader confines of their relationship as brothers, as well as their place and role as sons within the context of their family.
The story is written in the first person through the character of Brian who offers a raw and gritty point of view. I found Snyder's characterization of Brian to be quite daring in its truthful exploration of a complicated man who is struggling with feelings that are completely inappropriate and unacceptable from a familial and societal perspective. In her writing of Brian, the author deftly captures his sense of self-loathing and alienation.
On the surface, Brian is not an easy character to like. He is self-absorbed, selfish and duplicitous. He cheats on his lover and partner Timothy with a multitude of men, and abuses his power at the office by having sex with his junior assistant. He readily acknowledges to himself that all of these encounters with men are meaningless, but he lacks sensitivity and to a certain degree even remorse in respect of what these affairs would do to Timothy if he were to ever find out. Brian's unrequited love for his brother has essentially dictated his life choices and actions as an adult. Even his choice in lovers has been influenced by his feelings for Joey, as he is drawn to men who look like his brother. In this respect, Timothy bears a striking resemblance to Joey.
And yet, I couldn't help but have compassion for this character because his self-destructive tendencies are motivated by his deep shame, pain and self-loathing. Brian punishes himself for his feelings by physically distancing himself from his family who he hasn't kept in touch with or seen in over a decade. And through his sexual promiscuity he puts up barriers to avoid emotional intimacy with everyone, in particular with those who should be closest to him - Timothy, his parents and even his brother Joey.
The author captures the intensity of Brian and the complexities of his feelings through the wonderfully descriptive prose of his narrative. There is one particular passage in which Brian recounts one of his earliest memories of Joey and himself that is touching and tender and stands out as a defining moment in Brian and Joey's relationship:
"In photos there was a time before Joey, but I don't remember it.
My earliest memory plays like an old silent film, scratchy in parts,
jumping across the movie screen of my mind. In it, I am awake at
an impossible young age, no more than three or four - I lay in the
darkness listening to the sound of my baby brother's cries. After
several minutes, when it becomes obvious that my mother sleeps
too soundly in the other room to hear him. I slip out of my toddler
bed and cross the room to his crib. 'Shh,' I whisper through the bars,
imitating my mother. I don't hear my voice, but like in a dream I just
know what's being said. With one small hand, I pat the crib bumper
the way I've seen my mother pat the baby's back to burp him. 'Joey, shh.'
He hiccups and continues to cry. With the fearless dexterity of a toddler,
I pull out the drawers on the nearby changing table and use them to climb
into the crib. The old wood creaks beneath my sudden weight, silencing
my brother. In the faint glow from my nightlight I can see his wide eyes
watching me as he sucks on one small fist. 'Shh, baby,' I say again. This
time I pat his leg-- with a giggle, he kicks out at me and I tickle the bottom
of his scrunchy little foot.
Getting back out of the crib seems daunting, so I stretch alongside the baby
and snuggle up to his tiny warmth. In the darkness of our bedroom, he sticks
his tiny, perfect fingers, saliva-slicked, into my mouth, my nose, my ears. I
keep a protective hand on his warm baby belly and whenever he hitches his
breath, I pat his stomach and murmur into his scant hair, 'Shh.' Eventually we
fall asleep spooned together. When mother found us the next morning, she
used half a roll of film taking pictures until the click and whirr of the camera
finally woke me up. I still have one of those pictures tucked deep into my wallet,
hidden away. I haven't seen it in years, but I know it's still there." (© J.M. Snyder, 2007)
Brian's return to his place of birth and childhood home to help out his family while his mother is hospitalized forces him to face and come to terms with the feelings and issues that he has avoided all of his adult life. Joey is a key catalyst in this because despite the fact that he is the younger sibling he demonstrates great insight when it comes to his brother and their relationship. Joey forces Brian to face himself and his feelings and to make a decision as to the man he wants to be without judgment or recrimination, and with unconditional love.
"Between Brothers" by J.M. Snyder is an emotionally captivating and thought-provoking story that bravely explores the facets of love between two brothers with honesty and respect. I was completely immersed in the characters and found their story to be quite touching and poignant. Both Brian and Joey remained with me long after I finished reading the book. I recommend "Between Brothers" even to readers who usually shy away from the subject of incest precisely because the subject itself and the issues surrounding it are handled with intelligence, sensitivity and thoughtfulness by the author.
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