Wellington teenager Bella Frai reviews The Other Brother by Jax Calder.
Video / Canvas
Bella Fraei is a Wellington teenager who, in a new column for Canvas, reviews YA books. First up: The Other Brother
The Other Brother is Jax Calder’s first published book. This is a young adult LGBTQIA+ romance novel about two 17-year-old boys. They are connected to each other by theirhalf-sisters. No one has ever had very high expectations of Ryan. The main event to trigger this almost impossible relationship starts when he ends up staying at the same house as Cody —the person his sisters have constantly compared him to: The Mr Perfect.
The boys start to bond over their different lifestyles and their hobbies. For Ryan it’s surfing and for Cody it’s playing piano and guitar. They strike a deal to teach one another these skills, to see who’s better. Just when their friendship is starting to become strong, they are jolted back to reality at the end of summer. With everyone disagreeing about the two being friends, they still manage to find the time to fall in love. They go from almost strangers to friends and from friends to “lovers”, then strangers again, just like the song Strange. Until they finally figure out that they are most likely each other’s endgames.
Bella Fraei, YA reviewer.
The family dynamic was complex due to the dark cloud their mum and dad seem to bring with them to every gathering. Or the fact that the boys could be together but still have the same sisters but different parents. One of the realisations the sisters have, is that no matter how weird it is for them, the boys aren’t fooling around and they love each other. And this led them to supporting Cody and Ryan when everything ended up falling apart.
It was a relatable book because I have a confusing family situation as well. And it’s nice to know I’m not the only one in this situation. Even if only fictional. I liked Ryan’s character the most, because he finds out more about himself and what he wants to do with his life. It takes us through the journey of Ryan and Cody finally standing up to their parents, and about Ryan becoming closer to his sisters. As well as Cody coming out to his parents.
The Other Brother was fun and quirky, but I didn’t find it to be a page-turner. It started slow, then dragged a bit in the middle. It wasn’t until the end that it became compelling. I think the author did this on purpose to encourage you to carry on reading. I couldn’t quite picture the characters the way I wanted to, partly due to the author’s descriptions but also partly because everyone imagines things differently. I also felt that sometimes the author wasn’t very consistent with the characters’ personalities.
The Other Brother, by Jax Calder.
I enjoyed reading this book because it really made me think about what I was reading. It is mainly aimed at teenagers aged from 13-14 and onwards as there is use of alcohol and a child nearly drowns. However, that scene was actually really cool as Ryan had to step up and out of his comfort zone. It all depends on what you like reading and how you interpret what you’re reading. I loved the fact that it was a gay love story set in New Zealand, because most rainbow stories happen in America or the UK. There are a few sex scenes in it, but they are not super-explicit or gross. It was funny and not so far-fetched that it seems impossible that this could actually happen.
Overall, it was a really sweet book and it was cool to see a different opinion of how boys talk to each other because I have had a very different experience. It wasn’t super-predictable or easy to guess. I knew that they were going to end up together but what happened in between was a mystery to me. This was part of its “want to read” factor. I would give it a 7/10 and recommend it to my friends, if they are into romance.
