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By: Holly LeCraw
ISBN: 9780385531962
Publisher: Doubleday Books
Publication Date: 2/17/2015
Format: Other Format
My Rating: 3 Stars

A special thank you to Doubleday Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

THE HALF BROTHER by Holly LeCraw, a complex tale an exploration of family bonds, loyalty and love, and dark family secrets, from southern Atlanta to prestigious New England.

After Harvard, Charlie Garrett, longs to leave his complicated southern childhood in Atlanta, behind and find his place in the world. When he arrives as a young teacher at the Abbott School in north –central Massachusetts near the Vermont border, he finds an entirely new world of privilege and tradition. He managed to get the interview, without the help of his stepfamily connections, the Satterthwaites--After all Nicky is their real son, the one who had been born correctly.

Charlie soon meets Preston Bankhead, the school’s chaplain, and his daughter May, a student. Teaching English was his first job out of college, and he had met May Bankhead his second year there. He was still teaching freshmen, but she was not in his section. The following year he taught sophomores and she was there. He is drawn to May Bankhead, now age twenty and falls in love.

Charlie grew up with a single mom, in South Georgia, and later moved them to a nice guesthouse they rented in Buckhead owned by the McClatcheys, a mansion in an upscale neighborhood. Hugh Satterthwaite, Mrs. McClatchey’s brother, went to their church and often dropped by. Later they married and became his stepfather.

Years later when he met Preston and Florence Bankhead of New Orleans and Savannah, he knew immediately they were of the same ilk as the McClaltcheys and the Satterthwaites. Soon thereafter their life changed. Then Nicky came along. Hugh died later.

However, when May’s father is diagnosed with cancer, and Charlie returns home, he receives some shocking news and is forced to break up with May, not wanting her to know the truth about her father, and she leaves the school.

A decade later his world is turned upside down, when his golden boy half -brother, Nick comes to Abbott to teach, and to further complicate matters, May returns as a teacher as well. Students and teacher are drawn by Nick and even May falls under his spell.

Then Charlie and Nicky’s widowed mother arrives at the school for Christmas. She winds up in the hospital, setting the stage for a series of events and more shocking truths come out from May’s mom.

Living in Atlanta for many years, enjoyed the landmarks and familiar places, since I lived previously in Buckhead and familiar with the Oxford Book Store, the author’s family business which closed in the late nineties.

A contemporary novel of love, secrets, lies, betrayal. Even though THE HALF BROTHER, had a good set up and kept me reading, I was not invested in any of the characters. There are no likable characters and readers were not introduced to them, on any personal level.

May seemed immature, Nick self- absorbed, Charlie, a martyr, and the parents mostly living a lie. As many of reviewers mention, no human dynamics to allow you to get to know the characters in the book, and overall fell flat. When reading The Swimming Pool, the previous novel, had a similar overall feeling, a great premise; however, no likable characters to draw you in.