The Things a Brother Knows

Joshua Swanson recounts the story of a troubled vet, Boaz, recently returned from the Middle East, and his conflicted younger brother, Levi. "Boaz went in the military as a man and came back a ghost," claims Levi, who is so determined to bust through his brother's monosyllabic shell that he stalks him on a long trek from Baltimore to Washington, DC. The plans works eventually; conversation evolves, and so does Levi's understanding of war and kin. Swanson has the tempo and temperament of the brothers down pat. The boys' Israeli father and grandfather give Swanson a chance to demonstrate his Hebrew accent as they try to reach Boaz. Swanson's narration of Levi's colorful friendships and first romance is delivered as a counterpoint to the traumas of war. D.P.D. (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine

Starred review from August 30, 2010
With exceptional sensitivity, Reinhardt (How to Build a House) chronicles a soldier’s troubling homecoming, in this timely novel told from his younger brother’s point of view. Three years after joining the Marines and serving overseas, Levi Katznelson’s brother, Boaz, returns to his Boston suburb a hero. But he seems to be a different person: withdrawn and uncommunicative. After isolating himself from the family, Boaz announces his plans to hike the Appalachian Trail, yet Levi suspects his brother has another itinerary in mind. Using a route marked on a map Boaz left behind, Levi follows Boaz’s path and eventually catches up with him. Walking side by side with his brother all the way to Washington, D.C., visiting ex-Marines and soldiers’ families along the way, Levi learns more about his brother’s experiences—like why he’s stopped riding in automobiles—than Boaz can explain outright. Refraining from making political judgments about current conflicts, Reinhardt personalizes a soldier’s traumas in terms civilians can understand. Levi’s growing comprehension of Boaz’s internal turmoil is gracefully and powerfully evoked. Ages 14–up.