Brother by Ania Ahlborn

Brother follows a teenager determined to break from his family’s unconventional—and deeply disturbing—traditions.

Deep in the heart of Appalachia stands a crooked farmhouse miles from any road. The Morrows keep to themselves, and it’s served them well so far. When girls go missing off the side of the highway, the cops don’t knock on their door. Which is a good thing, seeing as to what’s buried in the Morrows’ backyard.

But nineteen-year-old Michael Morrow isn’t like the rest of his family. He doesn’t take pleasure in the screams that echo through the trees. Michael pines for normalcy, and he’s sure that someday he’ll see the world beyond West Virginia. When he meets Alice, a pretty girl working at a record shop in the small nearby town of Dahlia, he’s immediately smitten. For a moment, he nearly forgets about the monster he’s become. But his brother, Rebel, is all too eager to remind Michael of his place…

Goodreads Synopsis

Overall Rating

4/5

Spooky Rating

4/5

Quick Take

Brother by Ania Ahlborn is a surprisingly heartfelt and dreadful story of a demented family and their “traditions”. It has The Texas Chainsaw Massacre vibes, and the characters make you feel so conflicted. This is a must read!

Tell Me More

I have to admit that I bought into the hype that surrounds Brother by Ania Ahlborn. Ahlborn is quite popular in the horror book community right now, and I was sold by everyone likening Brother to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, as it is my favorite horror franchise. Unfortunately, I think that this book was a bit of a letdown for me, because I had expected it to be more extreme horror based on what other readers were saying. So, it is possible that my tolerance is higher based on the amount of extreme horror novels I read, but that doesn’t make this book is any less fantastic. It is ideal for those who want to dip into the extreme horror sphere with a book that is not as extreme as others, but will get under your skin and stay there long after you finish the book.

Brother follows two brothers, Michael and Reb, who are part of a family that lives in Appalachia. The chapters go back and forth between the present in Michael’s voice, and the past in Reb’s voice, before ultimately meeting in the end with an explosion of a conclusion.

The first chapter starts off with a kick, and there are so many twists and turns that take place throughout the novel and add to the intense atmosphere that Ahlborn is building. I couldn’t help but empathize with Michael, which made me question myself because he is such a morally grey character. Reading his perspective felt like I was reading the origin story of Leatherface from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which I loved, as Leatherface is my favorite horror villain.

There was some gore and brutality throughout the novel, but it was not overly descriptive. It was an integral part of the story, and necessary to reveal the horrors that the Morrow family takes part in.

It is hard to write a spoiler free review of this one, because there are so many twists, turns, and shocking moments that make up this story, so I will stop my review here. Just know that this is a must read! It will wind its way to your heart and scar you for years to come.