Book Review: "brother. do. you. love. me." by Manni and Reuben Coe

And now you're going to say, 'well, I'm glad you're back to reading fiction'. But this isn't fiction. It's a true story. It's an awe-inspiring story of brotherhood and love, complex personal emotions and understanding. A grand biography of empathy from the point of view of the brother and illustrated with heartfelt artwork by the subject of the story - this novel provides a look at some of the most quintessential things that make us human: our care for others. The story is about Manni who is looking after his little brother, Reuben who is 38 and has down's syndrome. Reuben is this kind-hearted and fun soul with a talent for drawing and as Manni explores the past and present with his brother, we as readers get drawn into a deep and loving exploration of brotherhood.

When Manni takes Reuben out of care and has him at home, he tries to be as loving as he can be in a language his brother can understand. He tells us stories about a trip to Morocco and their childhood in different parts of the UK. I think one of the saddest things about this retelling of childhood is when Manni explains that when Reuben was nineteen, the government decided to stop providing Reuben with education to meet his needs. I can definitely see why Manni did not understand why this happened. It was just so disheartening to read about and you can feel the empathy pull through the book. This is a man who very clearly cares about his brother and understands him in ways that many do not.

Another part I liked reading about was the time at which Reuben was born. Manni tells us the story of how the parents found out that Reuben had down's syndrome and were given all of these leaflets and things to help take care of him. But the family chose against these and instead went down the route of trying to understand things from Reuben's point of view, get him engaged and learn about him first. Then, they might read the leaflets to see how to make this experience easier for him. But it goes to show that through Reuben's ability to flourish, that human understanding can do more than most research and help-leaflets can.

The book is written in a very emotive style and has some really interesting side-stories. Not just the holiday to Morocco but also the times they had growing up, the distance between them sometimes and the way in which they were taught and conditioned to behave with the outside world because of the youngest brother's condition. There seemed to me as though there was a lot of textbook knowledge of the condition but not a lot of actually thinking that people with down's syndrome have an entire personality of their own. As Manni tries to navigate how to understand his brother and vice versa, Reuben has formed such a deep and incredible personality that no textbook or leaflet could have taught the family about. This investigation into how to become invested in another's personality is not just teaching us about how to interact with those different to us but how to interact with everyone, because each person has their own individual personality regardless of anything else.

All in all, as you read the book you will notice how more in touch with both brothers you become. Manni's want to communicate on deeper levels with his brother is a beautiful reference to how strong a brotherly bond really is and Reuben's artwork is all part of that communication as he speaks to his brother in a way he understands. This story brings the two closer and closer togeter as we get pushed back and forth, from past to present, looking deeper into what made them so close in the first place. Within this post-modern non-chronological method of storytelling is interspersed Reuben's illustrations, family photographs and more and, as we see conversations and daily activities unfold, we are left breathtaken by not only the strength of the bond but how much we feel like we now know both of these brothers so personally. Honestly, if you haven't read this book, I'm trying not to say too much because it's so beautiful.