Reviews

The Last Brother by Nathacha Appanah

Only show reviews with written explanations

justjoel's review

4.0

Good, short translated (from French) work that was a tad reminiscent of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, not so much in the details as in the friendship between two boys, one of whom is Jewish, on the island of Mauritius.

The protagonist has lost his two other brothers and is his parents' only surviving child. His father is an alcoholic prison guard, who takes out his frustrations on his family.

As with most WW2 novels, there are not a lot of happy, joyous scenes here. But there are some, and those are viewed mostly through the pre-adolescent eyes of the protagonist, who is too young to fully understand what is going on in the world.

I did like that this was based on the little-known history of how Jewish immigrants came to Mauritius, and I enjoyed learning about this, even as a fictionalized version, as it was something I'd never heard of before.

4 out of 5 stars.

marave's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

This was such a beautiful story and I definitly recommend this book.

lady_bountiful's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

emilyusuallyreading's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

This novel has been beautifully translated into English. Its descriptive language paints so well the thoughts and struggles of a boy who has experienced much loss and pain in his young life. I was held captive throughout the entirety of The Last Brother, especially by the dynamics between Raj's family. There is so much buried pain in this story, and it brings light to a side of WWII I never knew before.

aidahdefilippo's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

Wasn't a huge fan of the book upon finishing my first reading of it, but Appanah is writing a whole new fictional addendum to La Frontera with the history of Indian indentured servitude in the British colonies. Without saying so much in words about the conditions of Mauritius pre- and post-independence, she paints a vivid, painful, and honest picture of the harm done by colonizers to the nascent nations of the Global South. Appanah makes a brave refusal to forgive and forget their disregard for the humanity of those they shipped around the world like cargo and the communities we inevitably formed. True canon.

jenmat1197's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

This is the story of a young boy named Raj who lives on Mauritus. He is on a tiny island and oblivious to the Second World War until Jewish exiles arrive on his island. His dad works at the prison, and Raj becomes fasinated with the prison and the people behind its walls. He soon meets a little Jewish boy named David and they start to communicate through the fence and then later again when they are in the hospital together. Even though they don't speak much of a common language, they soon become friends and allies. Raj is determined to help David escape the prison, even not knowing exactly why he is there.

Raj tells the story as an old man looking back on what he and David went through in their short time together, and how he has spent his life trying to forget. Raj - who lost his own brothers when he was a child wanted nothing more than to save David. And when he can't, he spends his life regretting the choices he made during that time in his life.

This was a great book. It is short, but packed with beautiful writing and an incredible story. The author tells an amazing, fictional tale that pulls at your heart strings as you route for David to escape and live a life of happily ever after away from the Jewish concentration camp. Your heart breaks for Raj and his mother when a tragedy pulls his family apart and leaves Raj lost and lonely. And even though we know from the beginning of the book that David dies, you read the book hoping that the outcome is untrue.

I suggest this one highly. Put it on your list of TBR.