Response to Kevin Boy's "Brotherly Love"

Kevin Boy’s “Brotherly Love” is a story about two brothers, William and Steven, who live together and take care of Steven’s two kids, Jacob and Samantha. A lot of the story is about the dynamic between William and his niece and nephew, but there is also a focus on the relationship between the two brothers. The brothers are very close, yet they differ in opinion about moving. It is obvious that the house they live in is William and Steven’s childhood home, and Steven wants his kids to grow up in the same place. Though Steven does not want to move, a midnight burglary helps him move to William’s way of thinking. Though he is not exactly happy about the decision, he acquiesces for the sake of his children’s safety.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story. I thought that the dialogue was well done – it seemed very natural. The dialogue also did a great job of revealing the relationships between William and the people in his life. The humor in William’s speech was also quite good, as it portrayed him as an easy-going guy who cares about his family.

Though it was easy to understand the actual dynamics of the family, at the end of the story, I was left with a lot of questions. Why exactly is William living with Steven? It’s not like William is an unemployed bum. The narration indicates that William does have a job of some sort. Also, where exactly is Steven’s wife or the children’s mother? Is she dead, or are she and Steven divorced? I think this information has the potential to shed light on why Steven is so dependent on William’s help. Why can’t William just move out and take the job in St. Louis? Why do Steven and his kids have to move with him? There are a lot of issues that I have questions about that I think could be resolved by examining Steven’s dependency on William. Is Steven older or younger? Can Steven not take care of himself? The reason he is so dependent on William is ambiguous, and thus, brings up a lot of questions.