In my Brother’s Shadow is an absorbing and skilful story, exploring the attitudes of a younger brother who has grown up overawed by the image of his elder brother who went missing in Yugoslavia ten years earlier. In his attempt to break away from a monotonous middle-class lifestyle the main hero goes on pilgrimage to Bosnia and Serbia to explore the land that took his brother’s life. The story takes him to the cold and imperial beauty of St. Petersburg, Russia, where events force him to re-examine the basis of his morality, the nature of war and peace, love and hate, and violence and submission. It explores the motivations behind these and how ordinary people can be pushed to do the unthinkable. In my Brother’s Shadow explores the relationship of two brothers and how actions can be defined by their environment.
In my Brother’s Shadow is a subtle novel, exploring and engaging a range of emotions; compassion, violence, love. The central character is an intelligent young man who is emotionally insecure, having grown up in the shadow of a determined and domineering elder brother.
The main character tells of his impulsive break from humdrum, suburban life in an attempt to find stimulation and an understanding of the country where his brother had disappeared several years before while serving as a member of the UNPROFOR peacekeeping force. Two events turn this trip, into a disturbing quest.
Unable to return home, the hero travels north and east to St Petersburg where he resumes study During the short interlude as a student he discovers a new thirst for learning and a capacity to enjoy life but this changes when he becomes involved in a brawl that draws him into a morally ambiguous world of violence, treachery love and loyalty, facing a conflict between his own middle-class, suburban morality, and the stark choices of survival. His attempts to do what he believes is right inevitably lead to more profound ethical dilemmas.
The snow clad mountains and cities of Eastern Europe and the beauty of St Petersburg, whose post-Soviet rawness befits the primal powers that make humans capable of so much good and evil. It is a novel about life itself – written by an author who has experienced some of its extremes. Although the plot is imaginary it is based on careful research into the modern histories of Russia and the Balkans, and enriched by the author’s personal experiences and knowledge of this area. Many of the descriptions come from his own observations and experiences, and from encounters with frontline soldiers, veterans, and criminals, including convicted murderers. Research for this novel involved travel to Bosnia and Serbia.
You can now purchase In My Brother’s Shadow on Amazon.
About the Author
Peter Campbell was born in Australia in 1983, he grew up in New Zealand where he developed a love for the great outdoors enjoying sailing and tramping. Having completed studies at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, he received a scholarship to study in Russia.
While in Russia Peter was strongly attracted to exploring the psychology and motivation of characters. It was these experiences which were the inspiration and material behind his first novel In my Brother’s Shadow. Over the last ten years Peter has worked as a translator, editor, journalist and communications advisor.
Peter’s main interests include history, psychology, literature and language. He enjoys travelling and does his best to live parallel lives in New Zealand and Europe. The author is a keen fencer and sailor.