BROTHER ALIVE

Fajer Al-Kaisi gives a riveting performance of this fever dream of a debut, using his voice to ground listeners in character and setting, even as the story shifts between the past and present, New York and Saudi Arabia. In the turbulent 1990s, Youssef and his two brothers grow up with their adoptive father, Imam Salim, above Salim's Staten Island mosque. Al-Kaisi captures Youssef's downward spiral as he learns the dark secrets of his family's past, his voice alternating between despair and excitement. Al-Kaisi is especially good in the section told from Salim's point of view, which he delivers in a deep, gravelly voice, wholly unlike his portrayal of Youssef. An intimate, challenging, and surprising exploration of identity, this audiobook will leave listeners with lots to think about. L.S. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2022]