From the Bookshelf of Bookmarks Subscribers …

Because of the profoundly tragic inspiration for the book, Dornstein errs on the side of restraint; he maintains an objective, even distanced, attitude toward the death of his older brother. Critics generally praise Dornstein for that approach, and the result is a poignant examination of two intertwined lives. Despite the emotional toll that his brother's death and the subsequent rebuilding process take on him, Dornstein reconciles the complexities of his relationship with David while offering a

Because of the profoundly tragic inspiration for the book, Dornstein errs on the side of restraint; he maintains an objective, even distanced, attitude toward the death of his older brother. Critics generally praise Dornstein for that approach, and the result is a poignant examination of two intertwined lives. Despite the emotional toll that his brother's death and the subsequent rebuilding process take on him, Dornstein reconciles the complexities of his relationship with David while offering a fitting tribute to his life. The memoir has been compared to similar efforts by Germaine Greer (Daddy, We Hardly Knew You), Geoffrey Wolfe (Duke of Deception), and Fergus Bordewich (My Mother's Ghost) in its warts-and-all scrutiny of the hidden life that suddenly becomes the writer's obsession.

This is an excerpt from a review published in Bookmarks magazine.