Review of the book up to page 96 (where I finished reading).
I found this book a little puzzling. The two main characters are brothers who have been brought together following the death of their father. The interaction between the two characters was not brother-like at all, it was more like following the lives of two old colleagues. There was no emotion in anything they did or said. There were lots of pages of dialogue that had nothing to do with anything, and lots of philosophical discussion, and these things pretty much killed the storyline. Very little happened in those 96 pages. It was hard work to get that far with it, and a lot of it was skimmed. I wouldn't recommend this book.

The cover is nice, though. ( )

Completed it, but only just. Listened to audiobook as I walked and ran at night, and probably would have given up if I had to work through a hard copy version. Too heavy and tedious and unemotional. ( )

(8.5) The cover of this book certainly doesn't reflect the content of this book. It is a close look at two brothers of mature years. They have a deep affection, in fact, love for each other. when Leonard, the younger brother returns from looking after their dying father, his relationship with his longtime partner is over and he moves in with his older brother William and his family. William sounds like he is on the aspergers spectrum and his behaviour becomes increasingly odd bringing him into conflict with the law. It is a refreshing change to read a book about siblings who care for each other as so often books focus on the opposite. Beautifully written, this is a strong character driven novel. ( )

This is a book about philosophy. It is structured as a struggle between two brothers. It is told from one of the brother's point of view. Leonard, the brother in question, attempts to understand his brother William, a modern day Socrates. William is very believable as a Socratic construct. The understanding underpinning the story feels genuine from a philosophical perspective. The book is something of a gentle gadfly, worth reading for anyone interested in truth. ( )