The Brother Years by Shannon Burke is a family drama and coming of age story combined. If you grew up on the lower-middle class side of the scale, much of it will bring back memories.
Willie is the second oldest sibling of 4, who all share a room in their parents small home. Willie and his siblings are raised by a blue collar father who has come up with "The Method" to make his children attain what he thinks is the ideal life and climb out of the socioeconomic stratus they currently are in. Unfortunately, he also often resorts to brute force to make his points. There are several relationships focused on through the book, and love is right there behind them.

Overall, it's an engaging story with maybe a few sections that drag just a bit.

I enjoyed this ARC from NetGalley, and sharing my opinion.

The Brother Years is a coming of age story that follows four brothers growing up in a blue-collar family in Chicago. It's an enjoyable read that passes quickly, although I'm not sure that it will stick with me. 3.5 stars rounded down. Thanks to Netgalley and Pantheon for the ARC.

The Brother Years is my first book by this author, but I hope it won’t be the last. Big thanks go to Net Galley and Doubleday for the review copy. This book is for sale now, and if you treasure excellent, character-based fiction, you should get it and read it.

It’s tempting to call this a coming of age story, but the quality of the writing renders it unique and singular, defying categorization. The quiet authority and intimacy with which this story is told within the first person point of view led me to my desktop twice to make certain I was reading fiction, rather than memoir. In addition, I’m a sucker for any story that addresses social class, and class is the flesh and marrow of this tale.

Willie Brennan is the second born into a large family, and almost all of his siblings are boys. His parents are working class strivers, determined to rise, and particularly to help their children rise, through merit and hard work. In order to obtain the best possible education, they move into a substandard rental house in an otherwise upscale community. But social class shapes us, not only in terms of material trappings, but in more subtle ways having to do with culture. For example, when the boys get angry with each other, they are ordered to take it outside. The parents, who work multiple jobs in order to elevate their sons and daughter, are often not available to mediate disputes; moreover, the family is infused with a dog-eat-dog sort of Darwinism, and so sibling on sibling domestic abuse germinates and grows, along with genuine, abiding hatreds for protracted periods of time. This contrasts sharply with the more genteel, nuanced manner that more moneyed families deal with disputes and competition within their families, and between friends. And so, Willie and his older brother Coyle are set apart, not only by their house, family car, and clothing, but by the way they treat their classmates and each other. And we see much of how their classmates and neighbors regard them:
“They knew of our family. Our reputation had grown as we’d gotten older. We were Brennans. We did crazy shit.”

As the story begins, Coyle, the eldest, is the apple of his father’s eye, the achiever in every possible arena. Willie feels the terrible weight of expectation; how does one follow an act like Coyle’s? But in adolescence, Coyle rebels, and nobody knows what to do. Willie, next in line, bears the brunt of his brother’s bottomless rage.

This could be a miserable read in the hands of a less capable writer. I have seen other writers tell stories of horrifying childhoods, both fictional and autobiographical, that simply made me want to put that book down and walk away. When pleasure reading is devoid of pleasure, what’s the percentage in forcing oneself through to the conclusion? But Burke is too skillful to let this happen. While there are a number of truly painful passages, the distance projected by the narrator, speaking down the long tunnel between his present adult life and that tortured childhood he recalls, provides me with enough of a buffer that my sorrow for this poor child is eclipsed to a degree by my eagerness to know what will happen next.

This reviewer was also a child of working class parents, and also attended an excellent public school where most of my classmates came from families with money, in some cases a lot of it. No doubt this further fueled my interest. I am riveted when, as a revenge ploy, Willie accepts a friendship overture from Coyle’s nemesis, Robert Dainty, whose family is among the wealthiest and most privileged in town. Robert was “the epitome of the New Trier student: competent, self-satisfied, crafty, and entitled.” The interactions that take place within this alliance are fascinating, and I believe them entirely. In fact, I believe every character in this story, from the father, whose judgement and impulse control is dreadful; to the mother, who smolders and tries to make the best of things; to the older brother, classmates, and of course, the protagonist, Willie.

The author—and this reviewer—grew up in the mid-twentieth century, and it was during a time, post-Sputnik, post-World War II, when the United States and its people were passionate advocates of competition and domination. For this reason, I suspect that those from or close to the Boomer generation will appreciate this story most. But it’s hard to pigeonhole writing that meets such a high standard, and everyone that appreciates brilliant fiction, particularly historical fiction, will find something to love here.

Because I was running behind and could tell this galley was one that I shouldn’t let fall by the wayside, I supplemented my usual reading with the audio version I obtained from Seattle Bibliocommons. Toward the end, because it is so impressive, I listened to it and followed along in the galley. George Newbern is the reader, and he does a wonderful job. You can’t go wrong, whether with print or audio.

Highly recommended.

I have not been emotionally invested in a book like this in forever. A family drama that feels at times like a modern day Cheaper By The Dozen but not as well behaved. 4 brothers who fight, compete and help each other when needed. The family is dirt poor in a rich community and Dad instilled in them that they were every bit as good as the rich kids and they can excel and be even better at their fancy schools. I laughed out loud at smart alec Fergus. my heart felt for Coyle and just want to smack Willie, the narrator. Do yourself a favor and spend a nice Saturday with the Brennan family and their antics.

This novel is absolutely stunning. It follows a poor, hard working family growing up in the 70s. It's deep and emotional, while still being able to make me laugh at points. I felt like I was with Willie, trying to survive the bullies and rich kids at school. Everyone needs to pick this one up!

This familial drama centers around the relationships between 4 brothers that are living life based on their father's The Methods. This is a system the father created to toughen up his sons so that they are not forced to live a hard life with multiple jobs and little money like he has. The Method creates rivalry and is not tolerant of failures. This book was a great read.

One of the best books I’ve read in a while. It tells the story of the Brennan family whose ambitious father is determined that his 4 children are going to rise above their poor and humble origins and make something of themselves – whatever it takes. He’s going to make sure they succeed even if that means moving them to a wealthy suburb, which they can’t afford, and getting them into a good school, where they are out of place, and forcing them to use every minute of their days towards his goal for them. If he has to be tough with them, then so be it. But this is not a book of cruelty and misery. The author cleverly avoids all the tropes of poor kids make good tales, by showing just how this family functions, how at the heart of them there is love, and he intelligently and with empathy and understanding explores this family dynamic so that this is a family the reader grows to care about in a really visceral way. What I particularly appreciated is that there is drama – but no melodrama, sadness - but no sentimentality, violence - but nothing extreme, snobbish and supercilious characters - but they are never wholly bad, bullying - but it never gets out of hand. This makes the novel all the more believable and convincing. It’s a powerful and moving story, extremely well-written with confidence and a sure hand; well-paced with cleverly maintained suspense and tension, and so compelling I read it in one sitting. Excellent.

This was great, don't get me wrong, but it just isn't MY style of book. However, there were so many incredible things that came with this that I think readers may like.

The family in this story is so incredibly dynamic and static at the same time... it's odd to say, I know. We see the most growth from Coyle and Willie. Coyle being the oldest of four, is kind of the golden child, so when things don't exactly stay golden (no pun intended), there's definite tension in the family. Willie is kind of a brat for quite some time, but his age is played up very well as the overshadowed middle child. Fergus is ABSOLUTELY hilarious, and Maddy is just trying to be such a lil peace keeper :')

I would've loved to see more from the younger siblings, but sadly, the story deals more with the older brothers, their relationship, and especially, their relationship with this father.

If you are a character driven reader, this book is definitely for you! I found myself a bit bored because I'm more plot driven, and it feels like this was kind of sporadic in the time jumps and more than I'd like. However, it is a quick read and a great character study and exploration of them!

Overall, a solid read.

The best compliment I can give to Shannon Burke's book "The Brother Years" is to say that, at times, I thought I was reading Pat Conroy. The narrative voice is as completely convincing as the family it describes is dysfunctional, and readers will happily engage with Willie as he faces off against family expectations. To say more would, unfortunately, be to tell the plot itself, but I will say that this one will grab you and keep you turning pages as you search for a resolution.

A beautifully written novel about a hard-working but poor family growing up in the late '70s. Our protagonist, Willie is a sensitive teenager trying to survive his abusive older brother, and the snobby rich kids at school. The last two chapters made me tear up. Rich in emotion and surprisingly humorous. Willie was a multi-faceted character. I really felt his pain and indifference towards his family. So real it hurts. This book touches on violence, depression, and social hierarchy. The only negative thing I can say is the first half felt repetitive, but the plot definitely picked up after that. I really enjoyed "The Brother Years". An unexpected gem. Enjoy!

Thank you, Netgalley and Knopf for the digital ARC.

Release date: August 4, 2020

Willie, the second oldest brother, tells this coming of age story about a family of brothers whose tough guy father wants more for then than he has. Alex Brennan moved his wife and four boys- Coyle, Willie, Fergus, and Maddie- to a wealthy suburb in order to get the boys into a better school. They are the proverbial family in the smallest house in the best neighborhood; the boys share a room. Alex pits them against one another in a ill thought out notion that the competition will toughen them up and improve their chances in the world. There's an interesting touchpoint character in Robert- the rich boy. This is classic stuff in so many ways. The characters are well conceived and executed, the situation unique in the pantheon of tough dad stories, and you'll find yourself engaged. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Burke's storytelling shines here. An excellent read.

“I saw the other parents glance over to see who’d
come in and there was that familiar feeling of knowing there
was something wrong with us. Other adults wore trench coats
and leather gloves and black leather shoes. Mom and Dad
wore old parkas and sneakers. And there was also something
wrong with the way we acted, some indefinable flaw in our
expressions or maybe the defiant posture we took when we
came into a room, but whatever it was, adults seemed to pick
up on it instantly”

This to me was one of the most deeply affecting and poignant passages of this magnificently written book. The recognition that one is the other, different than what or who is deemed acceptable in society.

This is the story of the four Brennan siblings and their dad who moves them into a posh neighbourhood so they will be in a superior school district, as he wants them all to excel. To become superior beings as he put it. They are poor. They live n the worst house on the best street; a small shabby house compared with the mansions in which their school friends lived. They were ostentatiously different in every way than the rich kids they went to school with.

Their dad,, Alex, instilled a strong work ethic in them from when they were very young. He would have them out delivering newspapers with him at 3am, even renovating houses and doing janitorial jobs like dry wall with him, etc.

The eldest, Coyle, was always the toughest and the most high achieving. Willie, the next one, in age was a dreamer, yet he was still fiercely competitive with Coyle. He wanted to do as well as him. He studied but didn’t study as hard as Coyle, yet he still inveigled himself into the academically gifted classes at school.

It was a violent household. Alex, a manual worker with a college degree hard fought for , was violent towards his sons. He set the, kids impossibly high standards academically, putting them against each other. The fights betwen Coyle and Willie were ferocious with Willie once even pulling a gun on Coyle.. Fergus, the younger brother, was more the jester of the family tryimg to dissipate the tension and the violence. Maddy, the youngest , found it all too much, fleeing the room when the inevitable rumbles would start. The mum, college educated, also pushed the children to excel, but she disapproved of the violence and tried, often in vain, to keep the peace. There was also a lot of constant emotional turmoil in the family.

Then there was Robert, the rich, spoilt, and supercilious school friend, who Coyle resented and punched out for merely touching his motorbike. Willie later ingratiated himself with Robert as he wanted to get on the tennis team, and Robert’s obscenity rich Dad would pay for the tennis courts. For a time to fit in with Robert and his mean but popular friends Willie would become Robert’s toadie. When push comes to shove though, he stands up to Robert and a schism is created.

This book felt like a memoir. The Brennan family seemed incredibly real. Willie's never ending fights with Coyle took a toll upon him and created a bitter divide between the brothers.. The family faced many hardships and setbacks with the pragmatic Alex showing he had a dreamer side buying a boat, which he restored. Sadly, the boat project ended in a debacle. The family mainly remained stoic and resilient in the face of these setbacks . There is an interesting side character, a mean nan who bullies Alex and his kids, who is keen on poisoning birds!

During high school , Willie works part time at the school. He used to feel embarrassed when others were scathing and disdainful of skilled manual labour. He’s working with another young man, Deanney, who works at the school and one day. watching him work comes to admire not only the craftsmanship Deanney engages in but also his strong sense of self; his refusal to be belittled by the snide comments the school’s rich kids make to him.

Alex suddenly collapses at his 42nd birthday party, which had contained both overtones and undertones of violence. It’s initially thought he suffered a heart attack. He lies in hospital undiagnosed for some days until an unlikely Good Samaritan comes to his rescue. Robert’s rich Dad has a cardiologist friend whom he arranges to see and treat Alex. The Dad expresses admiration for the Brennan boys’ strong work ethic . their strength of character, and their striving for and attainment of academic excellence. This greatly surprises Willie, as he always assumed the Dad had sneered at them as the poor people who didn’t fit in and considered them to be ridiculous and an embarrassment to the salubrious neighbourhood.

Coyle goes off the rails for a bit, but then knuckles down and gets offers from a few Ivy League schools. Alex is ecstatic, feeling that his methods with the kids have worked and borne fruit. Coyle gets an academic scholarship to the University of Virginia that is fully paid, and accepts that offer. Alex, though initially disappointed he didn’t hold out for the Ivy League, later constantly boasts to others about this, always adding that Coyle’s scholarship came with a “full ride”.

I will not forget the characters in this book for a long time. The writing and character descriptions is wonderful. The rivalry between the brothers reminded me in ways of the rivalry between the brothers in Douglas Kennedy’s The Great Wide Open.

This is an amazing book. At about 260 pages, it was a quick and absorbing read. I couldn’t put it down. .I highly recommend, it to others..

Thank you to Matthew from Alfred A. Knopf and to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Shannon Burke's vibrant coming of age family drama exuberantly documents the lives of the in your face Brennan family of Illinois, with the blue collar Southside Chicago raging bull of a father, working all the hours god sends at various jobs, living on 3 hours of sleep a night. He has no intention of letting his 4 children be condemned to the lifetime of hardships he has endured. His ambitions for them have him implementing The Methods to toughen them up, working them as hard as he does himself, intolerant of failure, fiercely competitive, independent in spirit. Raising them on the religion of extreme hard work and diligence, demanding they are superior in every way, work, academically, and in sport, moving them to the wealthy suburb of Seneca, which they cannot afford, so they can attend the prestigious New Trier School.

Living in a tiny home, the spirited children, Coyle, Willie, Fergus and Maddy sleep in one bedroom, each of them forged by the intense fire and fury of their dominant father, amidst a volatile and explosive powder keg of violence and abuse, bitter sibling rivalry, and feuds. The story is narrated by Willie, the second eldest, in constant competition with his successful elder brother, Coyle. Willie is the great talker, the weaker brother, less confrontational, but has a bone deep stubborness that defines his character, as he locks horns with a Coyle who insists on violently taking out his frustrations in life on Willie, a battle their parents refuse to intervene in. The charismatic and so vitally alive Brennans have a reputaion for being batshit crazy, standing out like sore thumbs but impossible to ignore, surrounded by the silent disapproval of the wealthy, with the possible exception of their complicated relationship with Robert Dainty and his family.

As through time, the family changes, Willie takes it up himself to be the one who remembers the truth about the 'darkest years', the struggles, years of stick rather than carrot, that toughened him up, but exposes how much more difficult it was for him to move on later on, epitomised by the last supper for Coyle. He is loath to admit just how much like Coyle he is, learning how to interact with the world of privilege, thanks to Robert and school. He receives a much needed jolt to his system when he begins to appreciate the towering influence and mortality of his father, a scenario that brings more explicitly to the surface the love between them. The irrepressible, larger than life, Brennan family may appall many with the casual violence and abuse, but they are so much more than that, they give no quarter, they apologise for nothing, never complain or whine at the challenges that come their way, and are truly unforgettable. This is superb, immersive and utterly compelling storytelling with some wonderful touches of humour. Many thanks to Knopf Doubleday Publishing for an ARC.

Burke writes about "the weird, poor family in the rich neighborhood' and how their childhood was a crucible that molds and toughens them. Central are brothers Coyle and Willie Shannon and the competition that makes Willie's life hell.

The boys' father strives for success, working multiple jobs and studying for a teaching degree. He works the sons as hard as he works himself, employing The Methods to toughen them for the world. The stress gives him a short temper and violent outbursts. Their mother is a housewife with a college degree who ineffectually tries to keep the peace.

Coyle's academic and sports achievements were a testament to his father's Methods. But there was always the awareness of being the poorest family in the rich 'hood.

...there was that familiar feeling of knowing there was something wrong with us--with our clothes or haircuts of the way we talked. ~from The Brother Years by Shannon Burke

Coyle's antithesis is the wealthy Robert. Willie aligns with Robert in his bid to get on the tennis team. Coyle accuses his brother of being a suck-up. Robert and Willie use each other for their own purposes. If that pisses Coyle off, so much the better.

Memories of a friendship with a rich friend came back. Dad was a blue collar worker and mom a housewife. We had what we needed, but my clothes were from KMart and our special eating out treat was buying 15 cent burgers from a local chain. At fourteen, I wore mom's hand-me-down swing coat and dated bathing suit with boy pants.

When I was a freshman, a girl took me up as a project, much like Emma took up Harriet in Jane Austen's novel. My friend was wealthy, had been to Europe, and lived in a posh house that her father had designed. Her parents had college degrees. She encouraged me to lose weight, flirt with boys, and become 'cool.' At least, cooler. In the summer I went to her house to swim in her built-in pool. Mom bought me a new swimsuit to wear.

One day this friend told me her mother thought I was not the right sort for her because of our economic status. I don't know if her mom really said that or if it was the start of my friend pushing me away because she soon took up another 'project.'

The energy it takes to rise above one's born class! It takes the Brennan dad years to get that degree. The boys had to be the best in everything to get into a top-notch college and to get the needed scholarships to afford it. Their childhood was brutal, the competition violent.

I was immersed in the story and the characters. The Brennan family is unforgettable.

Burke has given us a powerful coming-of-age novel, a story of class divide and what it takes to achieve the proverbial pulling oneself up by one's bootstraps.

I received a free ebook from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

Accessed via NetGalley.

I've been trying to figure out how I feel about this book since finishing it a few days ago, but I think my final review is 3.5/5 stars.

The Brennan family felt so real in this story I found myself becoming more and more frustrated with them as I tore through the book. Characters and events took such a hold on the story that I began to question whether this novel was a memoir or a work of fiction. I think I would have rated it higher as a memoir; the story covers such a relentless onslaught of emotional and physical distress for Willie that I found myself dying for a resolution, but not wanting to read more of the constant family fights. I have to admit that it probably didn't help reading this in the same month I read Tara Westover's memoir, Educated.

Willie's constant struggle with his family relationships and the never ending fights with his brother mean that it's almost impossible not to side with the kid, but in siding with him, I naturally craved a resolution to the divide between Willie and Coyle.

The ending of this novel left so much to be desired that I could not rate it higher than I have, despite the fact that the novel had me hooked on the Brennan family. The hardships they faced and the frustration I felt reading this novel warrant a final resolution, one that focuses on the complex relationships in the novel. The novel feels so painfully real, with no respite, that I wanted it to be a memoir to be more enjoyable.

That being said, I cannot stop thinking about this family and their sense of unity, despite it being peppered with both petty and serious disagreements. The Brennans will stay living in my head for some time, whether I want them to or not.

Evoking memories of my own childhood, this was a bittersweet read with themes of class struggle, sibling rivalry and family drama.
Written like a memoir, this coming of age tale takes place in the wealthy North shore suburbs of Chicago in the '70s and '80s. Being relatively poor, the Brennan family don't exactly fit in, but their father has high hopes that going to a good school, mixing with the wealthy and giving everything their utmost effort will give his kids the chance of a better life.
Readers with siblings will recognize the love/hate relationship between the brothers, the rivalry, the hatred of comparison and maybe even the violence. Before the high emotions of childhood mellow into a lasting friendship, we have to get through the struggle of those teen years.
A highly entertaining and relatable book.

Thanks to @netgalley & @penguinrandomhouse for the Arc

So I loved this book. It’s a coming of age tale surrounding the Brennan siblings, namely Willie Brennan, a young teen who lives in the Chicago suburbs. Set in the 1970s, Willie is growing up in a family where success through hard work and competitiveness with his older sibling, Coyle, dominates his everyday life.
The family live in an upper class area, go to a good school but are poor and Willie is very aware of this. Life at home is tumultuous where their father dominates with an iron fist, struggles to provide for the family and expects high standards. In trying to mould the boys into the best they can be, he inadvertently sets them against each other. What we get is a tale of class struggle, peer pressure, sibling rivalry intermixed with family love and violence.

This was such a great book. It was so well written. The characters were immediately identifiable and each had their own role. A younger brother was absolutely hilarious in dialogue where he riled his siblings with sarcastic comments in the midst of some serious going’s-one.
A solid 5 🌟 from me

This book was so well written! All of the characters are unique and consistent, the Dad is a hard-ass but he's also quirky, fun, and really loves his kids. Willie the narrator is relatable and I felt empathy for him and the struggles he faces. It didn't really feel like there was one big story arc, but rather multiple smaller arcs. Read like a memoir and had a very timeless feel.

As the mom of 3 boys, I liked this book a lot. The way the author writes made it feel like a true story. It gave me a real feeling and understanding of their lives and their relationships. It was a pretty easy, quick read with a lot of depth.

I read Burke's novel whilst watching HBO's series "Succession" and I guess the combination was effective; "The Brother Years" is both a tough and poignant read, uncomfortable and heartbreaking at the same time.