Quintet

by Douglas Arthur Brown

Adrian, Rory, and Cameron. Three brothers, identical triplets, are summoned home by the death of their parents in a freak accident. From Copenhagen, Toronto, and Halifax, they return to Cape Breton and stand in line as the mourners shake three duplicate hands and offer condolences, in turn, to three identical faces. Chef, artist, and carpenter, they wonder why they drifted apart. There was no fight, no falling out, just a slow and steady movement, step-by-step, away from each other. When the time comes to return to their separate lives, they agree to keep in touch. They create a journal in which each recounts the counterpoint of his life, the steps that led him away from the other two. And at every critical step, the triplets find themselves in the shadow of another brotherTalbot, the older brother, Tally, the Big Band the family secrets he has hoarded for a generation. Advance Praise: Beautifully written and pulsing with feeling, Quintet is a wonderfully woven portrait of three estranged brothers and their separate yet entwining stories. -Donna Morrissey, author of Sylvanus Now Quintet is a remarkable achievement, a page-turning story with unforgettable characters. -Sheldon Currie, author of Down the Coaltown Road Brutal and tender, innocent and dark, strange and familiar. Quintet is all those things and more. Douglas Arthur Brown is a writer to watch. -Leo Furey, author of The Long Run An irreverent voice, an off-the-usual-track setting, a fascinating inner monologue-by triplets! The reader is in for a tour de force about our desperate need to belong. -Karin Howard, screenwriter of The Neverending Story II Quintet is like listening to a chamber orchestra. Each character, like a musical instrument, has its distinct sound. -Annett Wolf, author, humanitarian, and founder of Women in Film

Genres: Fiction, Canada

303 pages, Paperback

First published February 28, 2008

Reviews

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three brother, identical triplets, have come home to Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, to bury their parents who've been killed in an accident. They haven't been together in all the years since they left home as young men. They're on the cusp of forty now. They've reunited from Toronto, Halifax, and Copehagen. A carpenter who sings beautifully in church choirs but has no interest in religion, Cameron has a blind daughter and a wife now living seperately. He has a great deal of guilt about his daughter, Mary Anne, wondering if drugs he took when he was young might be responsible for her blindness. Rory is an artist who exhibits his paintings in art galleries in Toronto. He experiences synesthesia, he hears colours, and his work is dominated by red. He's married to a doctor fifteen years his senior whom he adores. Adrian runs a haute cuisine restaurant in Copenhagen with his male partner who is seriously ill. Each of the three brothers has no idea what's going on in the others lives, they haven't kept in touch. They miss each other but are harbouring negative feelings toward each other and their parents, as most siblings do. But they all agree in their resentment of their older brother, "the Big B", who has stayed near his parents and has secrets of his own.
The story of their lives for the past twenty years is told in the form of a journal that each triplet keeps for four months then mails to one of the others. This form works very well, no sudden time shifts or confusion about which of them is telling their story in each chapter. I appreciated that aspect. Written in simple, not flowery language, as one brother opens up a little so do the others in what they tell about their loves, losses and triumphs. Their individual expression of themselves nicely dispels the myth of identical character so often presumed about multiple birth children too. Over time, they become more reflective and honest about their lives as children and the feelings that led to their ending up so far apart, at least in distance. They are clearly still deeply attached emotionally. Strong feelings emerge, a few raw emotions are revealed, but there is humour too. It's set in Canada and we get to travel through their eyes both in Canada and in Europe. And we are priveleged to watch them come together in their journal accounts and rebuild a brotherhood of trust and love. I enjoyed this story.
I am giving away a free copy of "Quintet" on my lit blog.
Entry is open worldwide and runs until Wed.Sept.10,2008 here:

http://freshinkbooks.blogspot.com/

[T.E. Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great read. It's the story of three identical brothers who write to each other after their parents' death. The characters are rich and believable. Brown is a natural writer!

[Denis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three brothers become estranged, as most siblings do over time, as they etch out their own lives. These three are triplets and as such you’d think they’d still be close, and that’s what this story is about, as they decide, following their parents’ funeral, to start a journal where they will attempt to fill in the blanks and explain how they’ve come to be who they are.

The POV toggles from one character to the other as we read their journal entries. The characters are now quite distinct and their lives different: a gay cook in Copenhagen, a artist in Ontario, and a tradesman on the west coast of Canada. But each has gone through loss, pain and love, and each share in the same lingering, familial pressure; their overbearing, insensitive, older brother.

Quintet is very much a character based story, and a simple, very pleasant read.

[Nightfalltwen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third "Atlantic Canada" book I've read. The first two being Saints of Big Harbour by Lynn Coady and the second being The Nine Lives of Charlotte Taylor.

The writing of this book is exceptional. I love the voice that each character has and although I've never really been a fan of reading "diary books", I quite enjoyed this. It certainly held my attention. I think because the triplets telling their stories had such interesting stories to tell.

I highly recommend this story. The writing is fresh and the characters are very endearing. I would have given this book five stars but for a few things. I don't want to leave any spoilers in this review (this time!) so I won't say what exactly it was that brought my star rating down. Anyway. Four stars isn't so bad. And I still highly recommend this book because of many other factors.

[Vince Philips · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I started reading this novel it was ten o'clock at nght. When I turned out the light it was three o'clock in the morning. I couldn't put it down. This is one of the most engaging novels I've read in years. The book is written as a journal between identical triplets who pass it between them over several years. The author has created three distinctive voices for these brothers and each chapter flowed beautifully into the next. A must!

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Douglas Arthur Brown has created a family portrait that resonates with familiarity. We all can connect on some level with these siblings whose personalities are woven into a great story. One of the things I enjoyed most about Quintet was that when I turned the page the characters and their story was still there. There was no frustrating page turning to get back to the point after the writer decided to "digress". A great read!

[Patricia]

I dated a guy who was the oldest of a set of triplets, and the three of them fought all the time. This fascinated me, and I wondered if that had to do with the fact they were too crowded in the womb, or family dynamics or other influences. So I was interested in this story of triplets, but the plot didn't hold my attention. And usually I like books with alternating narrators and letters.

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

After their parents' deaths three brothers who are identical triplets decide to share a journal. The novel consists of their journal entries. Quintet is finely crafted, suspenseful, and filled with interesting detail and sympathetic characters. Though eccentric and unconventional, the family dynamics are absolutely convincing. An engaging novel by a very talented writer. Recommended.

[Sandra Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of the brothers and their family quickly drew me in and held me right to the end. The journal is brilliant; I felt intimately involved as the brothers renewed their interrupted relationships.

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked this book.

[Johanna Wiersma · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit challenging to follow the narrator. Interesting perspective on family dynamics for multiple birth children. Some thought provoking moments.