Adrian, Rory, and Cameron. Three brothers, identical triplets, are summoned home by the death of their parents in a freak accident.
From Copenhagen, Toronto, and Halifax, they return to Cape Breton and stand in line as the mourners shake three duplicate hands and offer condolences, in turn, to three identical faces.
Chef, artist, and carpenter, they wonder why they drifted apart. There was no fight, no falling out, just a slow and steady movement, step-by-step, away from each other. When the time comes to return to their separate lives, they agree to keep in touch. They create a journal in which each recounts the counterpoint of his life, the steps that led him away from the other two.
And at every critical step, the triplets find themselves in the shadow of another brother—Talbot, the older brother, Tally, the Big B—and the family secrets he has hoarded for a generation.
Praise for Quintet:
“Beautifully written and pulsing with feeling, Quintet is a wonderfully woven portrait of three estranged brothers and their separate yet entwining stories.” “Donna Morrissey, author of Sylvanus Now
“Quintet is a remarkable achievement, a page-turning story with unforgettable characters.” “Sheldon Currie, author of Down the Coaltown Road
“Brutal and tender, innocent and dark, strange and familiar. Quintet is all those things and more. Douglas Arthur Brown is a writer to watch.” “Leo Furey, author of The Long Run
“An irreverent voice, an off-the-usual-track setting, a fascinating inner monologue—by triplets! The reader is in for a tour de force about our desperate need to belong.” “Karin Howard, screenwriter of The Neverending Story II
“Quintet is like listening to a chamber orchestra. Each character, like a musical instrument, has its distinct sound.” “Annett Wolf, author, humanitarian, and founder of Women in Film
“Quintet is masterfully written. Brown's prose is never flowery or showy, but there is a muscular directness to the language, a deceptive simplicity. Brown's mostly unadorned language gives him clear, powerful brush strokes with which to paint honest, emotionally moving portraits of his characters.... Quintet is a powerful and fascinating novel.” “Globe and Mail

Douglas Arthur Brown lived in Toronto and Copenhagen for twenty years. He is the author of the novel A Deadly Harvest and two children’s books, The Magic Compass and Archibald’s Boo-Boo. His short fiction and translations have been published in literary journals, magazines, newspapers and anthologies in Canada and Denmark. He was a past finalist in the Tilden Canadian Literary Awards in conjunction with Saturday Night magazine and CBC Radio. The former publisher and managing editor of Pottersfield Portfolio magazine, Douglas resides on Cape Breton Island where he was born.

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