{"product_id":"older-brother-daniel-mella-9781999859343","title":"Older Brother","description":"\u003cp\u003e\"This slim and vital novel is a tour de force; it will floor you, and lift you right the way up--I adored it.\" \u003cstrong\u003e--Claire-Louise Bennett\u003c\/strong\u003e, author of \u003cem\u003ePOND\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDuring the summer of 2014, on one of the stormiest days on record to hit the coast of Uruguay, 31-year old Alejandro, lifeguard and younger brother of our protagonist and narrator, dies after being struck by lightning. This marks the opening of a novel that combines memoir and fiction, unveiling an intimate exploration of the brotherly bond, while laying bare the effects that death can have on those closest to us and also on ourselves.\u003cem\u003eIt's always the happiest and most talented who die young. People who die young are always the happiest of all...\u003c\/em\u003eCan grief be put into words? Can we truly rationalise death to the point of embracing it? \u003cem\u003eOlder Brother\u003c\/em\u003e is the vehicle Mella uses to tackle these fundamental questions, playing with tenses and narrating in the future, as if all calamities described are yet to unfold. In a style reminiscent of Bret Easton Ellis and J.D. Salinger, recalling in parts Cronenberg's or Burgess's examination of violence and society, Mella takes us with him in this dizzying journey right into the centre of his own neurosis and obsessions, where fatality is skilfully used to progressively draw the reader further in.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Daniel Mella\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1999859340\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781999859343\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Charco Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 04\/02\/2020\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 148\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.45lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 7.70h x 5.10w x 0.50d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 05\/11\/2020","brand":"Daniel Mella","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":43940718674175,"sku":"9781999859343","price":15.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/products\/img_ab47cd31-c8a1-45d9-8375-bf70399e395e.jpg?v=1681448797","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/older-brother-daniel-mella-9781999859343","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}