The Things a Brother Knows

In her young adult novel The Things a Brother Knows (2010), Dana Reinhardt employs a tightly-controlled first-person narrative to explore issues of service, sibling affection, and post-traumatic stress.

The narrator, Levi Katznelson, admits that he no longer loves his older brother, Boaz. Having once idolized Boaz, he is conflicted about this; they have drifted apart ever since Boaz enlisted in the marines instead of attending college as planned. As the small town celebrates Boaz’s imminent return as a hero, Levi is ambivalent about seeing his brother again after his three-year tour of duty in the Middle East.

At a school assembly, the principal publicly thanks Boaz. Levi feels humiliated, wondering how people who never knew Boaz can be so excited about his return home. Levi has always felt inferior to his brother, who was good-looking, charming, smart, and athletic. However, every time Boaz has returned for a visit, Levi has found him changed—less talkative, less outgoing. Eventually, Levi realizes that Boaz sometimes did not come home or make contact with his family when he was on leave.



Levi is concerned for his parents, Amanda and Reuben, and his grandfather, Dov. Amanda has been cleaning their house for days, obsessing over making it perfect for Boaz’s return. Dov and Reuben are excited at the prospect of having Boaz home again. Even as he hopes that Boaz will revert to his old self once he is home, Levi is worried they will be disappointed.

Boaz returns home. Taciturn and disinterested, he immediately retreats to his room, closing the door. Insisting that everyone call him Bo, he sleeps all day and doesn’t come downstairs for meals. Levi hears screams from his room at night and the tap of computer keys. Amanda proceeds as if this is normal, telling Levi that Bo will come down and be normal again when he is ready, but Levi becomes increasingly alarmed by his brother’s behavior. He meets with his friends Zim and Pearl, talking to them about the situation, but they only tell him not to worry, which annoys him.

At the movies with Zim and Pearl, Levi sees Boaz’s old girlfriend, Christina, on a date with another boy. She asks about Boaz. Levi asks her to try to get Boaz out of his room. Levi begins investigating. He enters Boaz’s room when he is not there and finds maps and papers with addresses. He logs into Boaz’s email and sees an exchange indicating that Boaz is planning to meet several people Levi has never heard him mention before; he plans to walk wherever he is going.



That night, Boaz tells his family that he intends to take a trip to hike the Appalachian Trail so he can think and be alone for a while. The family is surprised but supportive. However, Levi knows that Boaz is lying; this is not the trip he has mapped out in his room. When Boaz leaves, Levi follows, getting Pearl and Zim to drive him to one of the addresses in Poughkeepsie. They buzz the bell and ask for Boaz. Later, they pull into a motel where the clerk confirms Boaz had stayed the night before. They drive on; Levi follows what he thinks would be Boaz’s route but fails to catch up to him.

They stay in a motel that night, but Levi, too tense to sleep, goes for a run. He sees Boaz and catches up, insisting that he is going with Boaz. Pearl and Zim return home. Levi asks where they are going and why, but Boaz refuses to tell him. Refusing to be deterred, Levi continues to follow his brother even though he doesn’t know what is going on. They walk for days, and Boaz starts to relax, seeming a bit more like his old self. Levi observes evidence of PTSD in Boaz; when a car speeds past them as they walk, Boaz dives for cover.

Finding a letter from Christina breaking up with Boaz, Levi calls her, certain she is the cause of Boaz’s problems. She denies this, saying they had grown apart. Levi asks Boaz why he walks everywhere, refusing to ride in a car or bus. Boaz tells him about the time his Humvee hit a bomb and his friend was found with his legs blown off. Boaz also likes to walk because he can—unlike many others.



Finally, they arrive at a hospital, where Boaz visits his friend Jack—the friend who lost his legs. Levi reveals he has known where Boaz was headed all along, although Boaz himself didn’t seem to know. Jack has just been fitted for new artificial legs. Bo and Jack shave Levi’s hair as a prank, which breaks the ice. Levi understands that Bo has walked all this way just to visit his friend. They sneak Jack out of the hospital because he hasn’t been cleared to leave. Jack pushes himself in his wheelchair as Boaz walks to the Vietnam Memorial.

Levi goes home, gathers the family, his friends and Christina, and brings them to the Vietnam Memorial without telling them Boaz is coming. When people begin talking, Levi realizes this is an anti-war protest, and people are reading the names of the dead. He wonders if Boaz is here to support this or to disrupt it. He decides to listen. Boaz finally speaks about his experiences, promising his family he will stay near Jack and seek counseling.