‘My Brother’s Name is Jessica’ – John Boyne

Where to start?

I’ve seen so much criticism surrounding this book, and I was in two minds about reading it.

I’d hate to accuse writers of jumping on a bandwagon, but there is a cynical part of me that wonders whether this seemed an opportune time to write a novel about an issue that is high-profile. Boyne’s comments at the end of the novel would suggest not, but it certainly raises points of concern for many readers.

The story is told through the eyes of Sam, a thirteen year old whose mother is a Member of Parliament, and how he feels when his elder brother, Jason, tells the family he is transgender. As a result, there’s a lot of stereotypical negative comments made that don’t really help anyone to gain understanding of the situation.

From the outset I felt that there was a rather outdated feel to this. Sam did not come across as representative of many thirteen year olds and their awareness of issues around gender. Some of the comments may be realistic, but perpetuating the clichés and insults is no way to go if you’re trying to raise awareness.

The parent figures were vile. Their initial comments and behaviours showed a total lack of empathy. Perhaps that’s the point, but I don’t think it really helps anyone to consider their standpoint if they only see one view.

A hard review to write and I may well edit this in the future.

To me this felt a little misguided, and I can’t help but think someone else has done it better.

Thanks to Sophia Bennett@Twitter for drawing my attention to a great review of this novel from the perspective of someone who has a little more understanding of the situation than I do:  https://frejawoolf.tumblr.com/post/184559813853/my-brothers-name-is-jessica-by-john-boyne-a