4 Brothers

Book excerpt: 4 Brothers (originally titled 1 Brother) is an excellent childhood memoir by Andrew Miller that has been cruelly sabotaged by his three brothers. It would have been a beautifully written, insightful and amusing account of growing up in Sydney through the 60's, 70's and 80's but instead has become a questionably written, argumentative, and occasionally vulgar piece which has somehow turned out to be wholly entertaining. Few memories are agreed upon, and many are strongly, if not hotly, debated. What is, superficially at least, a nostalgic and entertaining read, also turns out to be a valuable and penetrating look into character, birth order, parenting techniques, world views and obnoxious personalities - from four brothers who remember their childhood very differently, yet who at the same time remain the closest of friends and the loyalist of companions.