It's obvious in reading this book (a work of fiction) that these authors are accustomed to writing nonfiction. The Brothers' Keepers reads like a well-written nonfiction account of a family of children neglected by their parents and mis-handled by the system. A heartbreaking story of bright, creative kids with lots of potential who aren't given the opportunities they need to succeed in life. Worth reading, especially for anyone with interest in the plight of neglected and abused children. ( )

This was an awesome book. I was glued to the pages and that's saying alot as I was moving at the time I started reading it so was very busy. I hope there will be more books coming with same themes just different characters if so I definitely would be reading them. Thanks so much to the author for my signed copy was a pleasure reading this novel. ( )

The Brothers’ Keepers is a novel that reads like non-fiction yet carries the creative weight of a well-written saga. The story, in brief, is about five boys who are all but abandoned by their parents, left to fend for themselves. When either of the parents is there (mostly the mother) they are emotionally and physically abused. This narrative has been told, similarly, many times and in many different ways. What sets this one apart from others is the manner in which the characters are portrayed. The authors do not impose a sense of pity on the children, but disgust for the parents. The children possess an unassuming inner strength, within their brokenness, that gives them a sense of power – a power that both binds them and pulls them apart. Within all of the children is an inner violence that, as adults, is tempered in various ways. The reader knows, before its reading, that none of the boys will grow up without deep emotional scars. It is impossible. All abused children – as adults - know this. Some of the boys are able to make relatively good lives for themselves, the rest cannot. Whatever their ending, the authors bring the story to a successful close without straying from its forceful beginning. One cannot help but be moved by such an account. It is Paddison’s and Orvik’s interpretation of this old and unfortunate tale that makes it a compelling achievement. ( )