After finishing the audiobooks currently available in Larry Correia’s Saga of the Forgotten Warrior series a couple of weeks ago, I found myself at a loss about what to read next. So when the good folks over at Raconteur Press “assigned” a book, I was primed and ready to read. They recommended Tim Powers’ 2023 release, My Brother’s Keeper, a fantastical alternate history of the Bronte family’s woes. I picked it up on Kindle because I automatically love anyone in commercial fiction who will even engage with literary figureheads.
The story is part ghost story, part werewolf story, complete with the gothic tropes you’d hope for in any story involving the Bronte sisters: women fleeing across the moors at night, dark and brooding angst-filled male characters, strong female characters (rather than caricatures), and characters struggling (and sometimes losing that struggle) with the sins of their past. I loved that Powers did not shy away from religion in the book, but leaned into it. It made sense within the story’s timeframe, and he represented Catholics and Protestants fairly.
I’m not someone who hands out 4 or 5 star ratings lightly—this one definitely hits a high 4 for me, however. Though I’ve been crazy busy working on a novel and trying not to float away in the torrential North Texas spring rains, I made time to read this and it hooked me from the start. I really can’t recommend it enough. This was a fabulous story. If you like a good ghost story, a fresh take on a werewolf tale, if you have an affection for Gothic literature, please check this out. You will not be disappointed.