Book info

• Title My Brother the Enemy
• Author Rupert Colley
• Year 2013
• Genre Historical

Your nation is at war. But the real enemy is the brother at your side. Short, heart-wrenching historical fiction with a heart-stopping denouement. 1936 – Exiled by the Nazi regime for their father’s beliefs, Peter’s love for his brother is slowly eroded as Martin proves himself to be ruthless and manipulative. When Monika comes into their young lives, their mutual jealousies heighten and threaten to tear them apart. 1941 – A childhood accident saves Peter from active service. His brother, posted to the killing fields of the Eastern Front, isn’t so lucky. 1945 – Berlin is torn apart by Allied bombs. Amid the carnage and death that descends over the city, Martin returns from Russia – battered and embittered. The twins’ seething bitterness and their shared love for Monika finally explodes with devastating consequences. My Brother the Enemy is a story of jealousy, sibling rivalry and betrayal, and a desperate bid for freedom, set against a backdrop of Nazi oppression and war.

Thoughts

I was keen to read this novella from the founder of the History in an Hour series, a quick read about a historical time but fiction rather than the fact of the “Hour” books. I enjoyed the book, whizzed through it in one sitting, and was transported to the time and place throughout.

It did feel a bit short, not that anything was missing, but just that there’s scope for the characters and the story to be developed into a full-length novel. However, I equally appreciate the novella for not taking up too much of my time, and for giving me an interesting read with something to think about after putting it down.

Brothers as friends, enemies, and rivals. Family, eh?

Rating: 4 / 5