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The Night Brother

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The Night Brother

By: Rosie Garland
Narrated by: Georgia Maguire, Gareth Bennett-Ryan, Emma Gregory
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About this listen

‘Echoes of Angela Carter’s more fantastical fiction reverberate through this exuberant tale of a hermaphrodite Jekyll and Hyde figure … enjoyably energetic’ SUNDAY TIMES

Late nineteenth-century Manchester is a city of charms and dangers – the perfect playground for young siblings, Edie and Gnome. But as they grow up, they grow apart, and while Gnome revels in the night-time, Edie wakes each morning, exhausted and uneasy, with only a dim memory of the dark hours.

Convinced she deserves more than this half-life, she tries to break free from Gnome and forge her own future. But Gnome is always right behind, somehow seeming to know her even better than she knows herself. Edie must choose whether to keep running or to turn and face her fears.

The Night Brother is a dazzling and adventurous novel exploring questions of identity, belonging, sexual equality and how well we really know ourselves.

 Coming of Age Fantasy Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Magical Realism Romance Magic

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Critic reviews

Praise for The Night Brother:

‘Rosie Garland writes in a tumble of poetry, desire and passion, as intriguing and delicious as the story she tells’ Stella Duffy

‘A rich and ambitious tale … Garland's prose is a delight: playful and exuberant’ THE TIMES

‘Echoes of Angela Carter’s more fantastical fiction reverberate through this exuberant tale of a hermaphrodite Jekyll and Hyde figure …enjoyably energetic’ SUNDAY TIMES

Praise for The Palace of Curiosities:

‘Garland’s lush prose is always a pleasure’ GUARDIAN

‘A jewel-box of a novel … Garland is a real literary talent: definitely an author to watch’ Sarah Waters

‘An alternately brutal and beautiful story about love and belonging in a vividly conveyed underworld, rich in carny phantasmagoria and lyrical romance’ METRO

‘Bewitching’ GOOD HOUSEKEEPING

‘Reminds me of Angela Carter’ Jenni Murray
All stars
Most relevant
The intricacy and beauty of this novel is addictive. I listened in every spare moment and even planned long car journeys just so I could listen at length undisturbed!
I might leave it one day before I start all over again #theworldneedsmoreabigails

Beautiful

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I didn't get past chapter 13, the misogynistic narrative was unsurpassable for me. Perhaps in the chapters I missed Gnome's behaviour and abuse of Edie was acknowledged, but after listening to the last chapter it doesn't seem like it was. Gnome is almost a caricature of male entitlement. The book was advertised as pushing the limits of gender and sexuality, but as an LGBT person I actually found the characterisation of the characters and the treatment of Edie/Gnome's condition to be simplistic at best and grossly offensive at worst.

On the upside, the performance was spectacular and the language wonderful.

Maybe the last few chapters turn it all around.

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