There are not many times that I approach an author after reading a book review by another reviewer – I’m not usually that forward. But there was something about Cecile Beaulieu’s book Brother Broken that made me reach out and I am glad that I did.
I can say categorically that this is one of the most moving memoirs I have read, made so by Beaulieu’s honest and emphatic recollection of her life with her family growing up in rural Saskatchewan, and, in particular, her memories of her brothers, now departed. What a tragic life to have lived, the grief palpable on every page as Beaulieu examines the circumstances that led three of her brothers to take their own lives. And yet, this is not a book that wallows in sentiment or smacks of self-pity – and believe me, Beaulieu would have every right to wallow. It is, however, an examination of circumstances and what is known in an endeavour to make sense of what is ostensibly a senseless loss of life.
There is a lot of sadness here but also a lot of love; Beaulieu loves her brothers, despite issues that she may have had with them. Humour is threaded throughout Beaulieu’s prose and what could have been maudlin, heavy reading is surprisingly light; not because it lacks depth but because it reads more like a respect-laden memoriam than a self-serving indulgence. The picture that she paints of her early life is one which is full of mischief, the outdoors and family time – Canadian to the core. Her parents are loving and provide a stable home environment with grandparents close and family contact a staple part of life. There are the usual scuffles at school with bullies and the scrutiny of these incidents to see how they may have shaped both herself and her brothers into the people they became. Later, there is the inevitable drifting between teenage siblings as they are driven by different urges but always the familial connection which continues to draw people back to each other.
It is a sad book and I feel the weight of its subject and yet, it has an optimism, an acceptance and with the list of affirmations at the end, catharsis: that Beaulieu will set aside her past as something that shapes, yes, but does not dictate her future.
A great read.
Scuffed Granny 