Once This was a Great Read

by Brian B.

This review is for the book Once We Were Brothers written by Ronald H. Balson, an attorney currently in practice and former professor at the University of Chicago. Once We Were Brothers is the most popular and first book that Balson has written. The book is considered to be historical fiction based on World War II and, more specifically, the Holocaust. The book is a twist-filled tale of two boys who grew up together in Poland during the war. Supposedly, one of the boys abandoned the family and resurfaced discretely many years later under a different name. The plot follows the story of the boys in the past along with the present accusations that lead to an intense trial.




The story-line of this book was very intriguing and clearly well thought out. The tale, on my standards, would be considered the perfect campfire story, if you had the time to tell it. However, for a novel, the writing fell a little short. Despite the cultivating recount of the boys in Poland and genuine courtroom scenes, the style of the book was poor. From characters that were portrayed as dry, coming across rather underdeveloped, to dialogue that often seemed forced and unnatural, the execution of the story on paper was flawed. Had the writer presented the book in a different light with the same story-line, the novel could have been outstanding.

Like I said before, this novel's tale would make the perfect campfire story. This is because a campfire story would not need to focus on the characters and their emotions or the specific dialogue. All that matters for a campfire story is the plot, which Balson nailed. If you are somehow who focus primarily on what happens in a book, and is not offended by imperfect presentation of information, then this book is right for you. Also, I would recommend this read to anyone who is interested in historical fiction in general, especially to anyone into stories of adversity. For those of you who decide to find this book and give it a try, it is available online at Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble, most likely at your local or school library, and as an audio book.