Whether we’re talking about Katniss and Rue Everdeen, Jaime and Cersei Lannister, or King Claudius and Hamlet’s father, the portrayal of sibling loyalty or jealousy (or both) provides great dramatic ROI. In the following editors’ picks about families enduring loss, false accusations, and war, the focus is primarily on the type of relative who’s the ultimate ride-or-die. In these novels, a brother searches for a sister who’s flailing in the wake of their mother’s suicide, a sister hunts for her kidnapped sib, and two African American brothers enlist to fight in World War II.
Mitch Wieland’s novel The Ghosts of Okuma travels throughout a lively, lit-up Tokyo as Wyatt Roth and his father search for Wyatt’s sister. Wyatt and Erin lost their mother to suicide about a year ago, and the surviving family members have all upended their lives in different ways: Their father doesn’t want to leave the house, Wyatt self-medicates with cannabis, and Erin fled their home in San Diego without leaving a forwarding address. Wyatt’s determined hunt for his older sister pulls him in different directions, taking him from packed commuter trains to underground rock concerts as he traverses Japan’s capital. Our starred review notes, “Filled with rich detail and lovable characters, the novel feels focused even as it takes a surprising turn into the world of activism, forging a link between Japan’s nuclear past and the characters’ more personal longings for answers. Whether depicting the memories of a mother and son in California or staging an eerie conclusion set against a ‘rain-drenched radioactive forest,’ Wieland finds something fascinating and engrossing in every twist of the tale.”
Set in 1925 Hong Kong during a rash of child kidnappings, Chasing Moonflowers stars teenager Ling Shaw, who’s trying to find her brothers and rescue her uncle, who’s been accused of murder. The Canton labor strikes and other historical details flesh out this starred paranormal thriller. Ling knows her beloved uncle didn’t kill anyone because she witnessed the grisly crime herself—a vampire-esque creature ripped out its victim’s eyes and stuffed her mouth with flower petals. Twinned with Ling’s search is another grim tale of a community beset by a “blood disease.” Author Pauline Chow’s blood-filled story is “part supernatural tale, part historical drama,” notes our reviewer. “She deftly moves from the intricacies of real events (like the Canton labor strikes)—and their effects on different characters—to graphic horror scenes that would feel at home in a Stephen King novel.”
In Steven A. Holmes’ Black Messiahs, Sammie and Amos Johnson enlist to fight in World War II for different reasons. One brother wants adventure; the other wants to build leadership skills after long being thwarted by white foremen. The historical novel follows the pair, who are Black; another Black solider, who’s gay; and a Jewish boy stuck in a Polish ghetto. “What emerges is a plea for tolerance that strikes an impressive contrast with the evils the characters experience on the front lines,” our reviewer observes. “Overall, Holmes has done a yeoman’s job of weaving all of these themes into a truly engaging, richly crafted narrative, maintaining a high standard for modern war fiction.”
Chaya Schechner is the president of Kirkus Indie.
