Review: Excellent
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 28, 2014
I loved all three of the Brother's Keepers books. One of my favorite things about Wilder's writing is that he excels in creating realistically flawed but nonetheless very likable characters. As a result, there is usually a significant amount of character development that takes place in his books. That is definitely the case here. The changes in Ellis, Rudy, and Jon are amazing to witness. The romantic relationship between Ellis and John was well written, having both substance and raw sexual chemistry. Still, what I think I enjoyed the most (or at least as a close second!) was the family connection, the bond between the pairs of brothers. Rudy and Ellis in particular were so very touching.I read from an emotional place, so I appreciate the fact that while reading about the relationships in these books, the reader is given enough understanding of the character and who that person is at their core to really understand why they do what they do, why they're attracted to who they are attracted to, and why they love the people they love. The story is dark without a doubt, but the beautiful relationships lend an air of hopefulness, which I think is central to the theme  and overall message. Taken together, as they are meant to be, the three books are very well written and fairly priced for the value. Wilder is becoming one of my auto-buy authors, and I definitely recommend this story.