Synopsis: "DON’T FORGET ME, BRO deals with themes of childhood abuse, mental
illness, and alienated families. The book opens with the main
character, forty-two-year-old Mark Barr, who has returned home from New
York to West Virginia after eleven years for his older brother Steve’s
funeral. Steve, having died of a heart attack at forty-five, was
mentally ill most of his adult life, though Mark has always questioned
what was "mentally ill" and what was the result of their father’s
verbal and physical abuse during their childhood.
The book unfolds into an odyssey for Mark to discover love for his
brother posthumously in a loveless family.
DON’T FORGET ME, BRO is a portrait of an oldest brother’s supposed
mental illness and unfulfilled life, as well as a redeeming tale of a
youngest brother’s alienation from his family and his guilt for
abandoning them."
My Review: I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. I have read several books over the years dealing with mental illness (thanks to the Mental Illness Advocacy Challenge) so have read some dark and depressing books at times. This one claimed to be uplifting in the end but for me there was very little uplifting. It is very dark, dealing with a lot of depression, abuse and mental illness with very little signs of trying to treat, better or right these situations. It got so depressing at times that I had to stop reading for several days. There are books that can be depressing but in a good way, this wasn't one of those. In my opinion it was a little overly descriptive of non-essential items, and there was a lot of rambling nonsense that took away from the story as a whole. I guess this may not have been the book for me.
illness, and alienated families. The book opens with the main
character, forty-two-year-old Mark Barr, who has returned home from New
York to West Virginia after eleven years for his older brother Steve’s
funeral. Steve, having died of a heart attack at forty-five, was
mentally ill most of his adult life, though Mark has always questioned
what was "mentally ill" and what was the result of their father’s
verbal and physical abuse during their childhood.
The book unfolds into an odyssey for Mark to discover love for his
brother posthumously in a loveless family.
DON’T FORGET ME, BRO is a portrait of an oldest brother’s supposed
mental illness and unfulfilled life, as well as a redeeming tale of a
youngest brother’s alienation from his family and his guilt for
abandoning them."
My Review: I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. I have read several books over the years dealing with mental illness (thanks to the Mental Illness Advocacy Challenge) so have read some dark and depressing books at times. This one claimed to be uplifting in the end but for me there was very little uplifting. It is very dark, dealing with a lot of depression, abuse and mental illness with very little signs of trying to treat, better or right these situations. It got so depressing at times that I had to stop reading for several days. There are books that can be depressing but in a good way, this wasn't one of those. In my opinion it was a little overly descriptive of non-essential items, and there was a lot of rambling nonsense that took away from the story as a whole. I guess this may not have been the book for me.
My Rating: I did expect there to be some sadness and depression while reading this book but unfortunately I had none of the emotional connections or reactions to be expected. I give it a rating of One Paw and a Stump Wag.
This book was sent to me by the author in exchange for an honest review.
You can find out more about Mr. Cummings and his work on his Goodreads Page or Website.
If this sounds like a book you would enjoy you can get a print copy from Amazon on March 29th.
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