Whiskey by Bruce Holbert

Brothers Andre and Smoker were raised in a cauldron of their parents' failed marriage and appetite for destruction, and find themselves in the same straits as adults--navigating not only their own marriages, but also their parents' frequent collision with the law and one another. The family lives in Electric City, Washington, just a few miles south of the Colville Indian Reservation. Fiercely loyal and just plain fierce, they're bound by a series of darkly comedic and hauntingly violent events: domestic trouble; religious fanaticism; benders punctuated with pauses to dry out that never stick.

The past couple of days I had quite some reading-time. This book took quite some of that too, if only to give it the attention it deserved.


The characters were raw, the relationships far from ideal. Perhaps that is what made this book feel real, even while it is far from what my own life looks like. There is loyalty, and love through and despite everything. Like what is mentioned in this book: hate is such a fierce emotion, that you cannot hate someone you do not love. This was certainly true for André and Smoker and the people around them.

The only not-great thing about this book, is that it can be somewhat chaotic. I sometimes really did not know what happened exactly, or when. On the other hand, it kind of fit within the story. It kind of read like I was drunk, or at least had a little too much alcohol, a state most if not all of the adult characters in the story could relate to I guess. Especially as a looking glass through which they looked to their own lives and relationships.

I received a free copy through Netgalley, in return for an honest review.