God of War

I stayed up last night to finish reading God of War by Marisa Silver. It is a very beautifull written book - the kind that makes you feel exactly what the characters are feeling. The book is about a young boy who lives in the desert of California and how he struggles with growing up, responsibility to his family and his mentally ill brother. It left me feeling sad and very introspective about my own life and my siblings and parents.

I have three brothers and we have all become such different people with such different stories to be told. My oldest brother is almost a decade older than me. He left for college when I was only 8 years old so when I think back to my childhood he is this sort of distant figure that I idolized. He was much more like a father figure through my teen years, but as I get older the age gap is closing and we are on walking on the same level. He is the definition of the perfect son. He is a surgeon who makes a comfortable living for his wife and four children. He is the family rock, the go to person to deal with our many family crises. I used to almost resent his perfection because I felt I could never live up to it. Lately, I realize that he is burdened with a lot of responsibility that I do not envy.

Following perfection, is my brother who is dynamic, charismatic and very unpredicatable. His addictive personality led to problems with drugs which caused much turmoil for our family. He has recently turned his life around in the past two to three years and I admire his strength as he pushes through his daily struggles in the aftermath of his addiction. Especially in today's economic times, he is struggling without a bachelors degree and his past issues.

God of War