Another book set in Mauritius, The Last Brother is a story of innocence, sadness, and regret. Though it is pocked with moments of pure childhood joy, it is mostly a tale of loss and hardship.
As a reader, you learn at the very beginning that the narrator, Raj, is now an old man. You also learn that he tragically lost his childhood friend David when David was ten. What unfolds are the other tragedies that led Raj to David in the first place, and of course the story of their friendship and David's death.
Though this is a work of fiction, it's based on a little-known but true corner of WWII Mauritian history, so of course I'm predisposed to like it. What really put it overthe top for me was the balance between Raj's current adult voice - full of wisdom and regret - and his childhood memories coming through in exactly the way a child would remember them - earnest, innocent, pure. It's one of those stories that can only be fully inhabited by the characters when told in retrospect. It's beautiful and bittersweet.
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