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sarahmarchant

sarahmarchant

Fraternity of Fractures - Mark Pannebecker
Fraternity of Fractures is bold, vivid, offbeat, and incomparable. I can truly say I've never read anything like it.

This book is meant for a more mature audience, with drug usage, criminal activity, sexual content, and obscene conversations. However, it doesn't feel in your face, but rather like an honest slice of life in the Midwest during the '80s.

The three main characters are all very well-developed: contemplative Justin with his Native American roots and love of architecture, bisexual Phoenix who's musical and multifaceted, and hotheaded Dylan with his family history full of motorcycles and tragedy. Even many of the secondary characters receive their own definitive traits that don't feel like tropes.

It's hard to pin a genre to this book. It revolves around robbery, but that's simply the thread that ties Justin, Phoenix, and Dylan together, not the entire story. There's a love triangle, but the trio's struggles go much deeper than just romance.

The tension simmers throughout Fraternity of Fractures until the last few chapters, when it gradually builds to a boil. Justin and Dylan are like two sides of the same coin - so then, what happens when the coin's in the air? It's definitely worth your while to dive into the heartbreak, strangeness, and soul-searching that this story holds.