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    The Brothers K
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    The Brothers K
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    The Brothers K
    Ebook941 pages15 hours

    The Brothers K

    By David James Duncan

    4.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK
     
    Once in a great while a writer comes along who can truly capture the drama and passion of the life of a family. David James Duncan, author of the novel The River Why and the collection River Teeth, is just such a writer. And in The Brothers K he tells a story both striking and in its originality and poignant in its universality.
     
    This touching, uplifting novel spans decades of loyalty, anger, regret, and love in the lives of the Chance family. A father whose dreams of glory on a baseball field are shattered by a mill accident. A mother who clings obsessively to religion as a ward against the darkest hour of her past. Four brothers who come of age during the seismic upheavals of the sixties and who each choose their own way to deal with what the world has become. By turns uproariously funny and deeply moving, and beautifully written throughout, The Brothers K is one of the finest chronicles of our lives in many years.
     
    Praise for The Brothers K

    “The pages of The Brothers K sparkle.”—The New York Times Book Review

    “Duncan is a wonderfully engaging writer.”—Los Angeles Times

    “This ambitious book succeeds on almost every level and every page.”—USA Today

    “Duncan’s prose is a blend of lyrical rhapsody, sassy hyperbole and all-American vernacular.”—San Francisco Chronicle

    “The Brothers K affords the . . . deep pleasures of novels that exhaustively create, and alter, complex worlds. . . . One always senses an enthusiastic and abundantly talented and versatile writer at work.”—The Washington Post Book World

    “Duncan . . . tells the larger story of an entire popular culture struggling to redefine itself—something he does with the comic excitement and depth of feeling one expects from Tom Robbins.”—Chicago Tribune
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRandom House Publishing Group
    Release dateJul 28, 2010
    ISBN9780307755247
    Unavailable
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    Reviews for The Brothers K

    4.5/5

    431 ratings33 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Four brothers, twin sisters, a father with minor league baseball in his blood, and a Bible thumping mother form the story skeleton of The Brothers K. David James Duncan packs a lot of meat on these bones in his very long, very elaborate, quasi-biographical novel of the Chance family of Camas, Washington.The first half of the book centers on the baseball career of Hugh “Smoke” Chance, latter known as “Papa Toe” for reasons almost too outlandish to believe. Hugh’s life as a triple-A lefty pitcher stumbles along through interruptions great and small, as his family steadily adds children and his wife rides herd. This part of the book is an engaging account of growing up in small town America in the 1950s and early ‘60s. It has the same steady, powerful flow of the Columbia flowing past Camas.Then, BAM! The second half of the book takes off. The contentious, argumentative oldest brother, Everett, becomes a campus radical and draft dodger. The scholarly and mystical Peter head off to India where he has a life-changing escapade. Lovable Irwin suffers a tragedy in Vietnam that becomes the focus of the book. One of the twins seems headed for a mental breakdown. Girlfriends and wives come and go. Conflicts between the mom and other family members escalate, but are then explained away in a final revelation so horrifying it almost derails the story. Kincade, the sturdiest brother, narrates the tale, but it is a roller coaster of an adventure.The disparate pacing of the two halves of the book is its main weakness. It feels like two books. And even though many of the moving parts in the second half relate back to information provided in the first half, the second half is so chock-o-block full of action and ideas and characters that those little connections get lost in the flurry or lose their significance. Duncan may have been trying to demonstrate that the Vietnam war had just that kind of explosive effect on American families, but he could have done the same thing more effectively with about 200 fewer pages.Duncan’s writing style has matured since his popular first novel, The River Why, but is still evocative, playful, witty, and erudite. The trouble is that there is just too much style involved. For example, he uses puns, limericks, and other word play (the title is a baseball reference – “K” meaning to strike out – as well as a nod to Dostoevsky); he incorporates fictional “primary source” materials such as letters, newspaper articles, and the children’s school essays; and he sets the story aside while characters – all remarkably eloquent and demonstrating eye popping levels of self-awareness – go off on state-of-the-universe soliloquies. A little of such tricks goes a long way. By the end of 650 or so pages, enough is enough.Despite these flaws, The Brothers K is a beautiful story of family love; well told and worth the read. It just could have been shorter. Also posted on Rose City Reader.l
    • 5/5
      I promised myself I would keep this simple, that I would state the essence of this book for me and then stop. Thus: The author reaches inside you to grab your heart, plays an intense game of rugby with it, and then makes you happy your heart was able to serve a key role in the endeavor. There was a point where tears came to my eyes just looking at the book cover. Seriously. But, guys, this is me. For everything that is exemplary about this book -- I don't recall ever giving so high a rating to an obviously flawed book -- but it does have its quirks. Some are quite minor, at least to many readers, such as the author throwing out total falsehoods that served no obvious purpose. Example: the incidental mention of an actual elected official at a specific time that wasn't actually elected until several years later. I know. I worked for that newly elected official. (Imagine a fictional book about one of the ongoing Iraq Wars in which a participant writes a letter to President Trump. Got the idea?) My second and more significant complaint is the ending, both the dramatic -- but not at all unexpected -- story that supposedly serves to explain why all the prior drama took place, plus the actual last scene, which is not written in sync with the rest of the book. I know there are folks -- many folks -- that think it sacrilege to state any fault about such a lovable book. If you are one of those people, read the book. It will help you deal with it. If it doesn't, you didn't get the point of the book, IMHO.
    • 5/5
      This is quite a book to get through. I'm not really into baseball (which is discussed a lot), but I love this book. Really, I just love this author. (I'm not so much info fishing, but I loved The River Why.) Duncan creates a complex and very detailed world with a family that is at times funny, likable, maddening, endearing. It will make you laugh at times, and it might make you cry. One of my favorite parts is the similarities between the scene at the beginning of the book and the end of the book - with a child sitting on his father's lap. I love how it starts and ends with that. It brings the book full circle for me. Again, it's a lot to read! But it's well worth it. I've read it twice, and will probably read it again some day.
    • 5/5
      Great Read. Read 2007.
    • 4/5
      Very interesting and well written--all the more so if you're interested in baseball, Dostoyevski, and the Vietnam War.
    • 5/5
      This author's books were recommended to me based on a book I was buying, and so I bought both The River Why, and this book The Brothers K.I really tried to like The River Why, but I think the combination of the author's long winded style of storytelling coupled with more information regarding fishing-fly fishing in particular, made The River Why less than enjoyable for me.The Brothers K is at least twice as long as The River Why, and the book is also over written, overly detailed, goes off on tangents that are sometimes interesting and sometimes not, but for me it does contain an actual story.The first half of the book sets in motion and explains in heart detail the significant players for what happens later. I know this seems obvious but again a lot of the first half isn't all that relevant, at least I didn't find it to be, so I was extremely pleased that I stuck with the book because the second half more than makes up for the first half.The story is about the Chance Family especially the three sons who come of age during the Vietnam war, and how their lives and characters are defined.It also is about the Father and his dreams of playing professional baseball, and their mother who is devoutly religious, to the point of it being very detrimental to the family.You will laugh, roll your eyes and maybe shed a tear or two reading the Brothers K, but you might also learn a thing or two, about courage, standing up for your beliefs, and question the relationship between religion and war.This really is a fantastic book.
    • 4/5
      Engaging with elements of humor, but it occasionally bogged down for me in places.
    • 4/5
      I won't go into plot or character overview, as that abounds in other reviews and the book's description. I will say that this was one of the most 'different' reads of my 70 years - a roller coaster read. I was drawn to the book because of its high overall rating and story time frame, as I came of age during the Vietnam War era. I started out really liking the book - chuckling throughout the early chapters and recommending it to my brother and his wife. Then the book seemed to take a depressing and sometimes rambling turn and I came very close to giving up on it - especially since, at 640 pages, it's a long read. But because of the high overall rating I felt maybe it was just 'me' that was the problem - plus I thought that if I don't stretch myself out of my comfort zone, I won't grow as a reader. So I soldiered on and then, toward the later 3rd of the book my interest picked up again and by the end I was emotionally linked to it again. So my rating ended up being a '4' overall and my advice is to not give up on the book once you've started - overall it was worth the read.
    • 4/5
      3.5 really with a crap load of reservations, but there was lots to like about this novel so I'm bumping it up rather than down. Give me a week and I could change my mind.
    • 4/5
      Sweeping family saga set mostly in the 1960’s – 1970’s in the state of Washington, The Brothers K is the story of the Papa Hugh Chance, a former baseball player whose career was derailed by injury, Mama Laura, a fervent Seventh Day Adventist with a painful past, and their four sons and two daughters. It is told in first person by the youngest son, Kincaid, through his own observations, as well as news articles, letters, school papers, and family memorabilia that provide additional points of view into relationships and events, and covers topics such as baseball, family dynamics, religion, nature, politics, war, and coming of age during the turbulent sixties. Though the characters are many, the focus is primarily on Papa Hugh, Mama Laura, and three of the four sons: Everett, Peter, and Irwin. Everett, the eldest, clashes with his mother regarding religion and becomes a rebel-hippie-agnostic. Peter, the second son, is the most athletically gifted, but is drawn to intellectual pursuits and Eastern spiritualism. Irwin is a good-hearted trusting soul who embraces his mother’s religion but also suffers the most trauma. It is a great example of how siblings can be remarkably different in temperament and avocations.

      The author has a wry sense of humor and is skilled at evoking emotion, at times funny, poignant, or heart-breaking. Baseball anecdotes and analogies are prevalent in the first half of the book. Duncan uses baseball as a metaphor for life, and baseball fans will particularly enjoy this part. As the storyline expands, and the children grow to adulthood, the focus shifts away from baseball and toward their various interests. It also moves away from their small hometown in Washington to international locations. There are plentiful allusions to The Brothers Karamazov, for which the book is named, but the storyline is substantially different, and it is not required to have read Dostoevsky’s novel in order to appreciate this one. As baseball fans will know, a “K” represents a strike-out, and the characters suffer a number of failures, life lessons, and adversities. Duncan explores the nature of success and failure by examining life-altering decisions, and the roles of fate, chance, and spirituality. The characterization is outstanding, with enough detail to understand motivations. At almost 650 pages, Duncan takes a few detours that perhaps were not strictly required and relates extended dream sequences. It will require the reader’s patience and persistence, but the payoff felt worth the effort. This book explores the themes of faith, hope, self-discovery, doubt, internal strife, love, forgiveness, and redemption. It is a gem of a book, a mixture of a great yarn and a thought-provoking philosophical look at life.
    • 4/5
      This is a book that I purchased in 2015 on recommendation of Nancy Pearl in Book Lust. I wondered why this book was called the brothers k but totally did not connect with Dostoyevski, The Brothers Karamazov. This is a story of a family living in Washington State. The father is a basketball player who is unable to play, his wife who is a fanatic Seventh Day Adventist, and their children. It is funny and it is sad. The story does take too long to get going and it was hard to engage. If you like baseball, this might be a book you could love. The K is also the symbol for a strike out. The setting is the 60s/70s and the children are the baby boom generation so it covers hippies and Vietnam. Finally the book is the story of a family from the Northwest during the sixties/seventies.
    • 3/5
      I remember reading this book but not much about what's in it. One of the brothers is or was a baseball pitcher of great promise, hence the K in the title but I don't remember anything else.
    • 4/5
      A very well-written book but my only complaint is that there is so much of it. Multiple themes, multiple story lines lots to keep track of. Follows the Chance family from the forties to the eighties, encompassing baseball, Vietnam and India.
    • 3/5
      This Book. Boy Oh Boy. What to say? The Brothers K. Sheesh. Why ME?
      OK. For the first two hundred or so pages it’s one of the best books I’ve ever read… and then it gets lost in the jungles of Vietnam. It’s one of those books where I seriously wonder if it is autobiographical, because each character is so distinct, and the story rings so true… but it doesn’t translate into a good novel.

      Remember in the movie Bull Durham when Susan Sarandon said “… the only church that truly feeds the soul is the Church of Baseball.” If you love that, you will love the first half of this book. If you want a book like this – I recommend you try The Iowa Baseball Confederacy by W.P. Kinsella.
    • 3/5
      A hundred pages in, I nearly chucked this one on the donate pile. I managed to stick with it but am ambivalent about the result. This sprawling book covers the emergence of a large family in rural Washington, with most of the action occurring in the 60s and 70s. The father is a minor league baseball pitcher, mother a 7th Day Adventist, and the kiddos finding their footing. Some allusions to the other K brothers - Karamazov. Large sections of this book feel very writerly - long school assignments detailing family history, the obvious Karamazov bits. I was interested enough to finish it, which is worth at least three stars.
    • 4/5
      This chronicle of a baseball family’s ups and downs in the ‘50s through the early ‘70s was expansive and (I’ll say it) breathtaking. Papa Chance, the father in this 500 page tome has spawned, a hippie radical, a eastern-studies guru, a thorough narrator, a dense but lovable Adventist and two peculiar twin girls who have worked out a method of killing birds and cleaning up the dead that is a sight to behold. Roger Maris, Vietnam, Religion, it’s all here, folks. Warning: The next book you pick up after reading this (unless it’s freaking brilliant) is going to reek like you just stuck your head in a barrel full of fish heads. Smell the [baseball] glove.
    • 5/5
      It may be different for other people, but we in our green youth have to settle the eternal questions first. Ivan to Alyosha KaramazovLet's get clear, The Brothers K struck me out. There are books which tell a story and then there are others, like The Brothers K, whose story resonates deep inside you in response to a call within the remotest nook of your inner being. Either as an iron hand clutching relentlessly at your bowels or as a scorching eruption of pure and unadulterated love, the novel gets into your system, leaving you breathless, exhausted and in a kind of perpetual stunned awe, even afraid of your own thread of thoughts. I was born in the eighties, nearly the date of the last chapter of this novel, and now I am here watching my past generation's dreams disappear. Because this sublime story has given me implacable proof of certain things that my dormant conscience already was aware of. That, whether we like it or not, we all are a product of our generation. And that my own generation comes out shallow, bland, devoid of values and lacking spiritual commitment in comparison to our past generations. The States, the sixties and early seventies. Take the Chance family. Their lives are defined by Wars. The Psalm War, campaigned by Laura, the radically devoted religious mother, tortured in silence by her own particular demons. Her enemy: Satan and her irreverent oldest son Everett.The Baseball War. Baseball, a new religion. Hugh, the ever idolised father, the indisputable source of inspiration. His enemy: his crushed finger and whatever threatening his family unity.The 'Nam War, which tears apart the Chances forever in unfathomable ways. Its enemy: Non existent. And of course, The Brothers K War. Four brothers. Four different, almost opposed, ways to understand the world, four voices to fight injustice, to claim what is right, to make us believe. Wars. Wars. Wars. Either imposed from the outside or inner wars, or both. Wars which threaten to break the ties between each other and bring out the best and the worst in them. But I couldn't help but admire how they planted their singular thoughts, nurtured and watched them grow and stuck to their own formed believes, using them as the only weapons to fight against these ruthless wars:Everett, a natural leader, bigheaded, bigmouthed and bighearted. An genial anarchist who defies the system and rebels against oppression.Peter, with his spiritual balance and outstanding intelligence, searches for answers in the Eastern World, finding his Westernized version of himself on the way. Irwin, the personification of goodness and innocence, still believes in Jesus after the bad joke 'Nam plays on him. Kincaid, the faithful and devoted narrator, his unconditional love the balm which eases the pain of this wounded family, his unselfishness and perseverance keeping them united, his words oozing with overflowing sensitivity and tenderness. But what moved me beyond words was the way these strikingly different voices mingled and danced with each other in apparent discordance. The result, an exquisite piece of music similar to Beethoven's String Quartet, Opus 131, which at heart I believe to be an optimistic masterpiece despite its distressing fugue and march to death closure. And how in Duncan's novel, I also identify something hopeful, something that feels eternal, immortal, divine...otherworldly in the way he shows us the long, unfolding paths these brothers follow and the way they are ready to sacrifice themselves for the sake of others, giving example of what's the true meaning of courage, honor and ultimately, of love.I know all these rambling thoughts might sound stereotypical, but believe me, they are not.This novel has changed my perspective in every possible way, some of its details will always stay with me and either blurred by unshed tears or repressed by fits of laughter, I'm taking memorable souvenirs from this epic journey; although now that I am back home and have time to cherish these new mementos I realize my own generation still has a lot of growing up to do. We can't afford to be drowsy and dispassionate, to commit the same mistakes over and over again, to be carried away on the wave of this void era. Not when some have sacrificed so much in the past. It's our deed to remember where we come from. And how dear the price of our present was.Embrace the unknown and let yourself be washed away by the intensity and the unsurpassed beauty of this novel. You'll see how your world spins around and everything shines in a new light, even yourself.I lost my religion ages ago, but like Everett, I realize that I have never stopped praying and that, perhaps, that's precisely what keeps all my loose pieces together. And for that, I can only be clumsily grateful.Yet knowing me, my weaknesses, my tedious anger, this tedious darkness, I know I could lose my hold even on you and find some way of flaming out here, and going down, if it weren't for...you.Not you, Tasha.I mean this other you. I refuse to resort to Uppercase here. But you hear me. And I feel you. I mean you, the who or whatever you are, being or nonbeing, that somehow comes to us and somehow consoles us. I don't know your name. I don't understand you. I don't know how to address you. I don't like people who think they do. But it's you alone, I begin to feel, who sends me this woman's love and our baby, and this new hope and stupid gratitude.
    • 5/5
      This is the first of David James Duncan's books I read--I finally read it when I realized it wasn't some tacky rip-off of Dostoevsky. What it is is a family saga, a baseball story, a tale of the Northwest. Like "The River Why", the other novel by Duncan I've read, it is also about love. I don't understand why he is not up for the Nobel Prize for Literature. Really.
    • 5/5
      At first it seems like this book is about baseball, and a baseball family. It's not. There is quite a lot of baseball talk (and I'll admit I skimmed over a few pages and paragraphs of baseball stats because I'm not interested nor do I really understand the game), but ultimately this book is very much about family and about faith. It's beautifully written, the characters are relatable and complex. What I loved most about it, I think, is the way faith (in God, Buddha, baseball, science, whatever) does to the family around which the novel revolves. It was a joy to read.
    • 4/5
      I think the only reason why this book didn't end up with 5 stars is because in the middle, I started to get bored. My favorite parts of the book were when the setting was in Washington. The parts about Everett in Canada, Irwin in Vietnam, and Peter in India, while informative to where they all ended up, seemed to drag just a bit. I kind of wanted to hit the fast forward button to when they interacted as a family, not when they were isolated in these foreign countries. Otherwise I LOOVVEEED it.
    • 5/5
      What a book. Here's another book with problems, sometimes big problems, involving voice and narrative perspective. And you know what? I didn't care a lick. It's a terrific read, just bravado storytelling. The term page-turner gets thrown around a lot, but this is the real thing, the genuine article. This is the saga of the Chance family (see, Duncan lays it on pretty thick everywhere in this book, including the characters' last names), told in detail, from the narrator's earliest childhood memories of sitting on his father's lap while his father reads the sports section, into adulthood. The brothers in question here are Everett, Peter, Irwin, and Kincaid, and by the end of the book, I got to feeling like they were my brothers. There are moments when the book gets a little corny. If there was even a hint of irony in it, I missed it. In fact, I'm tempted to say it's a melodrama. But the truth is that I haven't had this much fun reading a book in a long time, and that includes Tom Drury's The End of Vandalism, which I loved. I can't say that this big mess of a novel is for everyone. I know some people won't be able to get past the occasional technical issues and the sometimes cheesy tone, but those who can will find an amazing story waiting for them. And I haven't read Dostoevsky's Brothers Karamazov, after which, I'm assuming, this book is fashioned (there are direct references to the Dostoevsky that I'm afraid went sailing right past me. I don't even know what the plot of that book is). So I'm thinking I may have to hunker down with that at some point this summer. But for now, I'm going to read some smaller books.Thanks to Robert for giving me this terrific novel. I owe you another one.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Throughout the three weeks I spent with David James Duncan's Chase family, I found myself emailing quotes from The Brothers K and recommending this book to friends and business colleagues alike. Though written in 1992, it feels so like today in its approach to religious fanaticism, war, and politics. It's time for this book to enjoy a much deserved revival. By turns hilarious and heart-wrenching, often philosphical and meandering to distraction, one finds at conclusion that it was all there for a reason. The paths that wind through baseball, religion, politics, and family relationships all converge into a most satisying whole. Truly one of the most thoroughly enjoyable reads of my life.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      The Brothers K by David James Duncan - Baseball. Family. Vietnam. Religion. Throw them together and, Oh, Boy! Fun read for first third w/ great descriptions of setting, characters and baseball (even for the ignorant game watcher.) The depiction of the 60s was difficult to read because while I lived during those times, I was in my early teens. The decisions and their consequences the brothers made were, at times, difficult to read. The final section was able to bring many of the family issues to an end, without "pie in the sky". Great love for each other, even with differences among them, is the most important virtue for any family.Prayer given by Peter at Papa's wake (p.623): "Give us grateful hearts...our Father...and make us ever mindful of the needs of others. Through Christ, Papa's and Mama's Lord, amen. And through love for each other, amen. And through our sufferings, if that's what it takes, and our romances, our good housekeeping and our ball playing, our friendships and our enemyships. Whatever works best, our Father. Make us mindful through that. It's time to eat now. That's where you'd end this prayer, Papa, so that's where I'll end it, too. There's nothing much left to say but the obvious anyhow. Which is we loved you. And always will. Amen."
    • 5/5
      A book so full of life it almost bursts out of its 650 pages. It's a story about the 8 wildly different members of the Chance family and it’s a huge discussion on faith. Oh and politics and love and war. It has the darkness of insanity and abuse and the lightness of hope and friendship. It follows a variety of wildly different coming of age stories. It spans continents and lasts decades. It is so self aware it will stop you in your tracks. It will bring you to anger, make you chuckle and force a tear down your cheek. It masquerades as story of baseball but turns out to be about life. When I say Epic, I am not lying.Narrated by the observant, quiet and honest Kincaid, number 4 in the family. The 1st third of the book provides snapshots of events, a memorable day spent with dad or a dull (but funny) morning in Sunday school. Engaging if bitty but still an enjoyable build up, providing glimpses of the whole story before slowly coalescing into a magical whole. It truly becomes hard to put down and even harder to stop thinking about.The characters are all so different, the fervent fundamentalist mother, the ascetic Buddhist brother, the son who goes to war, the son who runs. Yet it never feels that contrived or stereotyped just interesting. This is down to the writing of course, it is beautifully and cleverly written. I could easily double the length of the review talking about the style and the plotting: the way he intercuts POVs or intersperses the commentary with essays/letters. I could spend hours looking for quotes.. still here's just the one to wet your appetite as Kincaid watches his father practice after the operation"There is a part of me that wants to state flat out that I learned more in the hedge about the defiance of dullness and career death, about the glory hidden in defeat, about the amazing inner capacities of a straightforward no-frills man—even a man stripped of hope—than I've learned anywhere since." Highly recommended, I cannot think of anyone who would hate it.. well maybe those with short attention spans.
    • 5/5
      This was the most engaging novel I've read in years. It was laugh-out-loud funny, it moved me to tears, and it moved me to write a little review on this website, something few books can claim. The New York Times Book Review said, "The pages of The Brothers K sparkle," and I think that's a wonderful description. If you have even the tiniest appreciation of baseball as a metaphor for life you will enjoy this book.
    • 4/5
      The pace was slower than what I needed right now. The major themes were religion, baseball and the blending of the two. Love, forgiveness and justification for bizarre behavior were also present and never cease to confound me. Overt selfishness gets old fast, but what about the argument that we are all essentially selfish and the act of being selfless makes us feel good so is, therefore, selfish. That argument leaves me with no response but a dull sadness. No enlightenment there. No possibility for change.This story was about a family of 8 living in the Pacific NW - not far from where I live. Comfort and security for the mother is found in her Adventist faith. Comfort and security for the father is found in baseball - specifically pitching. This is where the book gets it's title - K is the symbol for "strike out swinging". Optimism in failure - hmmm? Each of the 4 boys had a theme that slowly worked itself out in a beautifully written way.For Kincade, the story had to do with his mother and their relationship. When you don't understand what drives a certain kind of devotion, it can install a wedge between people and keep them separate - infuriatingly visible, but not reachable. There is a place where Kincade describes a kind of giving up feeling that I really identified with. "I felt at times that she loved me. I also felt, almost constantly, that she disliked me. And I was satisfied to reciprocate. It damaged us. But that's the way it was."The family struggled to stay close - to find the common ground that they could share together. The person who was best at this was Irwin. He could pass easily, without harming anyone, between the areas of faith and sports. He had a great love of life and everything in it. His ability to love was huge and infectious and very likable. This created a kind of doom around him because anyone who is witnessing a story understands that bad things happen to the kind, happy, innocent guy. Vietnam happened to Irwin and it was pretty bad. The family rallied around him in a rescue mission that was heartening.Everett, the oldest boy, waged a battle for individual authenticity. He developed a hunger and need for a crowd of people who would feed his image as a wise, witty truth teller. It was mostly bullshit - the stuff of bumper stickers. I see these people in very liberal Portland, OR and having already been acquainted with this smug crowd pleaser, I was happy to see him come to his senses and finally become his real self.Peter was the second to the oldest and just as obsessed with spirituality as his mother, but not the Adventist kind. This was a deal breaker for them that was almost permanent. As soon as he was able, he left home for school working his brain as hard as he could, seeking enlightenment. His struggle was hard to define, but it was finally put this way, "Some long-lived insidious problems simply slip us off to one side of ourselves. Some gently rob us of just enough energy or faith so that days which once took place on a horizontal plane become an endless series of uphill slogs." I get that. Hard.I enjoyed this book - I will probably reflect back on images of hope, love, maturation and that terrible sense of unhinged freedom that settles after a screaming family freakout.
    • 5/5
      A truly delightful read. I literally laughed out loud and cried throughout the book. It's a very interesting examination of what is important to people (baseball, religion, family), and how that can divide or unite a family.
    • 5/5
      Stunning. I loved every word.
    • 5/5
      This is among the top five books on my favourites list. It is a genius study of family and post-war America over the course of about thirty years that has at its core baseball, religion, baseball as a religion, literature, war and peace. A friend gave me my copy of this book and said, "if ever a book was written specifically for you, this is it." She couldn't have been more right. It has by far the funniest passage about Sunday school I've ever read. I can't begin to explain, but it involves felt angels, Swedes and beatniks. Overall, Duncan's understanding of and ability to write both about the humourous and heartbreaking aspects of life and familial relations makes this book well worth reading. "Joy to the Wordl! The Saviour Resigns!"
    • 5/5
      The Brothers K is a great read. Family, baseball, religion, politics, and the Viet Nam War make an amazing combination of issues that tear apart and bring back together the Chance family. Highly recommended.