Book Review: My Brother’s Keeper by Tim Powers

Emily Brontë and her dog Keeper roam the moorlands and hills, and one day, they find a stranger who is badly hurt, and nothing is the same again. This is a book about the reimagined life and death of Emily Brontë while she is writing Wuthering Heights with werewolves and ghosts.

I could imagine Keeper by Emily’s side on the rainy hills with her wool coat flickering in the wind, her harsh lines, and the body that could walk miles upon miles. I fell in love with this imagery. If I close my eyes still, I can see her there. It’s a sad scene, but so was the book. It’s about family relations and responsibilities. How sometimes one’s life is not one’s, but one has to pay the price of fathers and brothers. I sometimes wonder if we have lost a sense of duty nowadays. It can be a good thing as it leaves freedom for one to be one. Yet, I fear we have lost our sense of community and connection to our families and others because of it. We are social creatures, after all. But I’m not sure if self-sacrifice is a good thing. Is there a balance between being a brother’s keeper or not?

Story-wise, this is a bittersweet and sad story. There’s no happiness to be shared. Only a few family stories are. Real Emily wasn’t blessed with a long, good life either. She died just shy after her brother did her dog Keeper by her side. Tim Powers has given life to those events, and I prefer this one. Sadly, the book takes a long time to wind up. It’s a slow book, but I don’t think I minded it this time. You had to have the time to get to know the family.

Thank you for reading ❤ Have a magical day!