He Burns by the River is a story about brothers and sacrifice. What would we sacrifice to save our own brother? It also doesn’t shy away from the complicated relationships we have full of resentment, love, and envy. Keep reading this book review of He Burns by the River for my full thoughts.
Summary
When sixteen-year-old Roran’s saintly and light-skinned older brother falls ill in 1963 Trinidad, people in his village, Sapo, blame obeah. Blaming dark sorcery, the same kind believed to have sunk the southern half of Sapo thirty years prior, is ludicrous to Roran. He’s a boy of science and his brother is just ill, albeit the doctors aren’t quite sure with what.
But when Roran hears the cries of those who died in southern Sapo, he seeks out Father Basdeo, a man rumored to have eyes that can see the living and the dead. Father Basdeo explains to Roran that Roran has the eyes on him, too, and only Roran can save his brother by communing with the spirits. He just needs to put his jealousy aside and risk the one thing most people in his village would never dare risk—having his soul trapped in Sapo’s sunken side.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
I knew I had to check out He Burns by the River when I heard Cain and Abel retelling in a post-colonial Trinidad setting. I wasn’t too familiar with more than the bare bones of the original, but I knew it was a story about family and the complexity of envy. And He Burns by the River tells a complex story about siblings. About the envy and rivalry between them. But also about the love. Sibling relationships are always complex. No matter how much we love them, there are always these strings of envy, of resentment, of seeing how the world treats them. It’s inescapable.
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He Burns by the River takes those feelings and puts Roran on a journey not only to save his brother, but also to get to know himself better. It’s two fold as he learns more about what he is capable of. What his own potential is. I couldn’t help but become entranced by the sibling relationship. If you have a sibling, this is a must read! It’s also a story that examines magic and belief. This felt incredibly unique and I’m so glad I picked this one up! Find He Burns by the River on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, & Blackwells.