My Brother

von Karin Smirnoff

A publishing phenomenon from Sweden: a novel about uncovering family secrets, abuse, trauma and resilience

Jana is returning to see her twin brother Bror, still living in the family farmhouse in the rural north of Sweden. The house is decrepit and crumbling, and Bror is determindly drinking himself into an early grave. The siblings are both damaged by horrific childhood experiences, buried deep in the past, but Jana cannot keep running.

Alive with the brutality and beauty of the landscape, My Brother is a novel steeped in darkness and violence - about abuse, love, complicity, and coming to terms with the past. It's the story of a homecoming without a home: a story of forgiveness.

Karin Smirnoff lives in Piteå in Sweden. She worked as a journalist before quitting her job to buy a wood factory. After a couple of years she longed to get back into writing and wrote her bestselling debut novel My Brother, which was shortlisted for the August Prize and has been translated into nine languages.