What do we believe in? What matters to us? I think Reinhardt manages this without coming off too preachy. Understanding each other, sure, but also understanding ourselves. And while it’s true that The Things a Brother Knows is a “road-trip” book of sorts, the real story here is one of understanding. That’s when he makes the decision to abandon his summer job and go after Boaz.Īlthough Levi’s figurative journey is quite a bit different from his brother’s, that summer is pivotal on his journey to adulthood. Levi is suspicious and does a little snooping and discovers a map that reveals a different route altogether. Then Boaz announces that he’s going to walk the Appalachian Trail. It frustrates Levi because he doesn’t understand and Bo doesn’t seem willing to explain. He spends hours and hours in his bedroom studying maps and doing stuff on the computer. The Boaz who returns to Levi and his parents is withdrawn, rarely speaks and won’t get in a car. So his homecoming is a complicated thing. Levi didn’t really understand why Boaz, a popular high school athlete went off to war anyway. To your mind, he’s got the whole of the world all figured out. You want nothing but to walk like he does, talk like he does, draw a picture throw a ball, tell a joke like he does, let loose one of those crazy whistles with four fingers jammed in your mouth or burp the ABCs just like he does. His hands are among the first to ever touch you. Your brother’s face is one of the first you ever see. It sort of goes with the job description.
All little brothers worship their big brothers, I guess.
This relationship between the brothers is what propels The Things a Brother Knows by Dana Reinhardt along. When 17-year-old Levi Katznelson’s brother, Boaz, returns from his stint as a marine in an unnamed Middle Eastern country, he’s a changed man.
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