"The Brothers K" A Book Review

.The Brothers K by David James Duncan is "the story of an eight-way tangle of human beings, only one-eighth of which was a pro ballplayer." This is a unique American saga that is highly entertaining, gut-bustingly funny and heartrendingly sad.

The novel takes place in the Pacific Northwest predominately during the 1960s and  follows the  members of the Chance family. Average god fearing, working class parents with four sons and twin daughters. It is a story of family, the functional dysfunction, the peaceful violence, the complete and utter paradox that is real family. With rebels, heroes, fanatics and skeptics all living and growing under the same roof. Like The Brothers Karamozov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, which the characters heavily quote within the novel, the four brothers embark on their own paths to try and find their way.

Each character takes their own drastically different path; the draft dodger, the Buddhist philosopher, the Vietnam vet, the hippie, the scientist, the religious fanatic, the pro ballplayer and the lost soul, all very different and very volatile. Yet when one of  their own needs them,  they rally, like family should. Putting aside their own individual well being, forgoing all past grudges, disagreements and bitterness they as a family unite as an single unit fighting for a single goal, the protection of their family.

Every character possesses relate able elements be it to the reader, or to the readers brothers or sisters. They aren't typical stock characters, but they also are not all that different from any individual in ones life. Duncan weaves a wonderful  story of a family its struggles, its tragedy, its triumphs and its honest dysfunction.