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From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)

Brothers Jay and Max, 11 months apart, are high school seniors in Minnesota. They live with their mother, who is Bribri (Indigenous Costa Rican), and their physically abusive white dad, always on high alert for danger. Because their dad is much less likely to hurt their mom if one of them is around, they make sure she’s alone with him as little as possible. Jay and Max are also in counseling after beating up Luca, their cousin Nicole’s boyfriend, when they were sure he was physically threatening her. After their father is arrested and sent to jail, the tight bond between the brothers begins to fray. Jay is smart but has never considered leaving his mom to go college. He continues to spend most of his free time at home or with Nicole, and he remains fixated on the danger Luca represents. Meanwhile, Max is working on his portfolio for his art school application, secretly dating a girl named Melody, and feeling frustrated by his brother’s disinterest in the future. When the growing tension between the two erupts into violence, the presence of their Bribri grandfather, who comes to spend a few weeks, is calming for Jay especially as the brothers make steps toward reconciliation and independent, hopeful futures. This beautifully written exploration of the impact of family trauma and abuse is written in Max’s and Jay’s alternating voices; Max in verse and Jay in prose. (Age 14 and older)

CCBC Choices 2024 © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2024. Used with permission.

From Booklist

March 1, 2023
Grades 9-12 After beating up the school's soccer star for assaulting their cousin, brothers Jay and Max are suspended from school and assigned to mandatory counseling. Unbeknownst to everyone outside their household, this act of violence wasn't an isolated affair. They and their mother have learned to live under the threat of their father's rage, stoked by tough economic conditions and alcohol abuse. As the brothers deal with their father's legacy, they must consider how their relationships with their parents, community, and, most important, each other have inexorably changed. Though sparked by an incident of violence, the story itself is a quiet, soulful exploration of how young men process the often-stark realities they live in. The character notes are subtle and nuanced, with dual POVs that reflect the brothers' outlooks--grounded Jay in thoughtful prose vignettes and artistic Max in emotionally charged verse. The brothers' Bribri (Indigenous Costa Rican) heritage is showcased in the book (Tison is also Bribri), offering tradition as a way for Jay to quell the anger he harbors inside himself. A thoughtful, solid debut.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

From School Library Journal

Starred review from March 1, 2023

Gr 8 Up-A heartrending, contemporary debut novel about the repercussions of trauma and the healing power of family and art. Bribri American brothers Jay and Max (who are Indigenous Costa Rican) are reeling from the act of physical violence they perpetrated against the town's beloved soccer star. When they witnessed Luca stepping angrily toward their cousin Nicole and forcefully grabbing her arm in the Minnesota woods, the brothers instinctively beat him up. They've experienced physical abuse at the hands of their father and witnessed him doing the same to their mother. Max finds refuge in his art and a budding romance, while Jay burrows deeply into himself, occasionally finding respite in Nicole and his grandfather, who shares his love of reading and nature. However, the brothers become estranged. The chapters in this ruminative, dual perspective work are short. Jay's are written in prose vignettes; Max's are done in spare free verse. Tison's (Bribri) masterly economy of language-every word and even punctuation mark is chosen for a specific purpose-presents this compelling story of a family smashed to pieces by violence. The novel searingly depicts PTSD's strong hold-how every aspect of life is dictated by the fear of where the next fist is going to land, and how living so deeply in that circle of pain permeates every aspect of one's identity. Their problems aren't solved, but the siblings find peace in their small victories. Nicole is Anishinaabe, and Luca has some Mexican heritage. VERDICT Violence can be inherited but so can love and forgiveness. This vulnerable and magnetic tale of brotherhood belongs on every shelf.-Shelley M. Diaz

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

From Kirkus

Starred review from January 15, 2023
Haunted by the specter of violence, two Bribri American brothers contend with their hang-ups and each other as their senior year of high school concludes. Two weeks have passed since the incident in the Minnesotan woods when Indigenous Costa Rican brothers Jay and Max brutally beat up Luca, the school's star soccer player, in defense of their cousin Nicole. The brothers are now social pariahs among their peers, enduring counseling sessions to get their lives back on track. At home, daily life remains the same under their father's brutal hand, leading them to take shifts to ensure that their mother isn't left unprotected. A rift soon festers between the brothers, who are only 11 months apart in age. Book-smart Jay rebuilds his friendship with Nicole, keeps a cautious eye on Luca, and tries to hold himself together for his mom, all to the detriment of his homework. Meanwhile, Max remains dedicated to securing a spot at his dream art school and embarking on a secret relationship with classmate Melody, consciously trying to avoid Jay's dragging him down or problems at home from stunting the rest of his life. In this striking, assured debut exhibiting a measured pace and delicate writing, Tison (Bribri) probes the ties of adolescent brotherhood and ways the effects of violence can stall self-directed growth. The author peels apart each brother's bruised psyche by ingeniously rotating among Jay's tense vignettes, Max's wistful verses, and Bribri cultural elements to underscore their anguished journey to reconciliation. Remarkably compelling. (Fiction. 14-18)

COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

From AudioFile Magazine

A dual narration represents the alternating voices of two brothers, Jay and Max. Each is affected in a different way by their father's physical abuse. But both unite to beat up the school soccer star, who appears to be assaulting their cousin. Timothy Pabon delivers Jay's thoughtful prose vignettes, expressing his solidness and sense of responsibility, along with his feelings of fierce anger, fear, loneliness, and sadness at the rift with his brother. Pabon gives an excellent rendition of the Bribri (indigenous Costa Rican language) words that appear in the text and that color Jay's thoughts. Alejandro Ruiz delivers the free-form poetry of Jay's younger brother, Max. Bursts of language reveal Max's fierce drive for self-protection, passion for art, and disregard for anything that could interfere with his determination to escape his trauma. S.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine