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The Third Brother

Nick McDonell
Chapters (116)
  1. Cover
  2. Also by the Author
  3. The Third Brother
  4. Copyright
  5. Dedication
  6. PART I
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. 9
  16. 10
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. 36
  43. 37
  44. 38
  45. 39
  46. 40
  47. 41
  48. 42
  49. 43
  50. 44
  51. 45
  52. 46
  53. 47
  54. 48
  55. 49
  56. 50
  57. 51
  58. 52
  59. 53
  60. 54
  61. 55
  62. 56
  63. 57
  64. 58
  65. 59
  66. PART II
  67. 60
  68. 61
  69. 62
  70. 63
  71. 64
  72. 65
  73. 66
  74. 67
  75. 68
  76. 69
  77. 70
  78. 71
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  80. 73
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  83. 76
  84. 77
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  86. 79
  87. 80
  88. 81
  89. 82
  90. 83
  91. 84
  92. 85
  93. 86
  94. 87
  95. 88
  96. PART III
  97. 89
  98. 90
  99. 91
  100. 92
  101. 93
  102. 94
  103. 95
  104. 96
  105. 97
  106. 98
  107. 99
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  110. 102
  111. 103
  112. 104
  113. 105
  114. 106
  115. 107
  116. 108

Cover

cover

The Third Brother

NICK MCDONELL was born in 1984 in New York City. He attends Harvard University. His first novel, the acclaimed bestseller Twelve, has been translated into twenty languages and published in twenty-two countries.

Also by the Author

ALSO BY THE AUTHOR

Twelve

The Third Brother

A novel
by

Nick McDonell

image

Copyright

First published in 2005 in the United States of America by Grove Press, an imprint of Grove/Atlantic, Inc.

This open market paperback edition published in Great Britain in 2006 by Atlantic Books, an imprint of Grove Atlantic Ltd.

Copyright © Nick McDonell 2005

The moral right of Nick McDonell to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act of 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names and characters are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

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eISBN 9780857895271

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Open market paperback            1 84354 488 1

Printed in Great Britain

Atlantic Books
An imprint of Grove Atlantic Ltd
Ormond House
26–27 Boswell Street
London WC1N 3JZ

Dedication

To my mother

The Third Brother

PART I

Mike was privileged and troubled at the same time. He knew that if you grow up with money you don’t think about being rich, and that the same is probably true of courage. But if you grow up with lies, you find out that some lies become true. Mike knew this, too, and so did not lie. Except to himself, about his parents.

They were husband and wife but sometimes mistaken for siblings. They could have been carved out of the same piece of alabaster. Mike inherited the long high planes of their cheekbones, and he loved them in a very conscious way. They were both troubled themselves, and their trouble accelerated Mike’s childhood. He had seen them at their worst, violent and irrational, naked in public, smooth features contorted. In his reckoning as a young man, though, they were fine, and he had decided, in the face of their madness and addictions, that he loved them. And his life was his own.

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