PositiveThe New York Times Book ReviewRobben...contracts the world of Summer Brother almost to a stage set, blurring peripheral details. There’s barely any cultural, political or technological context to the story. The book’s setting is fuzzy, although it feels loosely like France ... Ultimately place is unimportant. Brian lives in the land of Maurice, and navigating that volatile terrain while fumbling with his own moral compass is the heart of the book ... This stylistic myopia works, although more character exposition could have been helpful ... Robben offers crumbs, but doesn’t let us indulge too much ... Such small gripes are easily forgotten, as Robben is wonderful at drawing characters with just a few deliberate strokes ... Like a photographer shooting a portrait, Robben captures his subjects in Summer Brother in a focused close-up. It’s intimate, even claustrophobic at times, just as life must be for an isolated boy like Brian, looking with wonder to the lights on the hill.
