Whiskey and Charlie

April 20, 2015
Smith (A New Map of the Universe) constructs an engaging narrative about the complicated relationship between a pair of brothers. Charlie and Whiskey Ferns are identical twin brothers residing in England with their parents, Bill and Elaine. Whiskey is the athletic, gregarious, and ambitious twin; Charlie is the reserved, studious, and introspective one who envies Whiskey's glamorous successes. Aunt Audrey buys them walkie-talkies and they learn the NATO phonetic alphabet, which gives Whiskey his nickname. The Ferns move overseas to Melbourne where Bill takes a job as a boilermaker, and the twins acclimate to their new home. As they grow up, the already strained personal connection between the twins is completely broken after Whiskey invites Charlie to his New Year's Eve party, and Charlie falls in love with Whiskey's latest girlfriend, a sensitive model named Juliet. The family yarn takes a tragic turn when a motorist runs into Whiskey, leaving him in a coma, and the Smith sibling dynamic takes a more complex turn.Beset with guilt and rage, Charlie holds vigil at his estranged brother's bedside. The author skillfully portrays the coma patient's care, and fleshes out the minor characters, particularly Juliet, who grows exasperated by Charlie's fear of commitment. Smith's novel is well plotted and vividly depicts the permanent bond between two very different siblings.

February 1, 2015
An accident leaves a man comatose and near death. Will his twin have a chance to make amends?Growing up, twins William and Charlie Ferns were inseparable, particularly after their Aunt Audrey bought them walkie-talkies. They learned the two-way radio alphabet, from which William took his nickname: Whiskey. Always eclipsing Charlie's star, Whiskey excels at everything, so Charlie is forever seeking something of his own. Although he wins a part in the school play and bests Whiskey on the golf course, Charlie seems tethered to Whiskey's lead in other arenas. Whiskey's shadow looms over Charlie's first experiences with girls. Whiskey leaves a trail of ex-girlfriends: Some of them use Charlie to make Whiskey jealous, while others turn to Charlie's arms only to find he cannot risk dating them for fear of angering Whiskey. Even Charlie's partner, Juliet, was Whiskey's girlfriend first. As the twins grow up and further apart, Whiskey goes into advertising, creating a glamorous life for himself that repels his twin. Charlie believes he's content in his life without Whiskey until his vibrant brother is hit by a car. As Whiskey's coma drags on from days to weeks to months, Charlie's hopes dwindle. Even if Whiskey does come out of it, he will no longer be the man Charlie knew, loved and-if he's being honest-hated. Smith's (A New Map of the Universe, 2005) chapters alternate between the vigil over Whiskey and the resurrection of Charlie's memories, which explore the apportioning of blame for their broken relationship. Can Charlie bear life without his complementary half? Can he find room in his heart for another, less hateful, version of their lives? A powerful, emotionally riven tale of a brother's deep, complicated love.

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February 15, 2015
Charlie has complicated feelings about his twin brother, William, aka Whiskey. Although they grew up as thick as thieves, adult Charlie doesn't like Whiskey, whose flashy ad-executive lifestyle is ridiculous and sudden marriage to the lovely Rosa will never last. When Whiskey barely survives a car accident that puts him in a coma, Charlie can't help but feel he should make amends for something, but what? It's Whiskey who was always cooler, always the center of attention. Each chapter is demarcated by a letter of the phonetic alphabet, the source of Whiskey's nickname and the childhood secret language of the boys. As the story goes from alpha to zulu, it is clear that years of repressed feelings have taken their toll, and it is Whiskey's ability to live out loud that really gets Charlie's goat. It's almost too late for Charlie to learn his lesson, but he does, in a very satisfying, heart-wrenching way. At the beginning of the story, readers may feel like Charlie's girlfriend doesway too good to hang out with this whiny loserbut in the end, it has definitely been worth it.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)