[Tyranny 02] • My Brother the Enemy

Fear on the streets. Death on every corner. But the real enemy is the brother at his side.

For fans of Sebastian Faulks, William Boyd and Helen Dunmore, comes a short historical novella on a large canvas from the founder of History In An Hour.

"My Brother the Enemy" is a story of jealousy, sibling rivalry and betrayal against a backdrop of Soviet oppression, violence and a desperate bid for freedom.

Hungarian twins, Lukacs and Janos, and their parents have survived the war and the Nazis.

But in 1949, aged 13, they find themselves victim of Hungary’s Soviet masters and exiled into a forgotten village. Ostracised and persecuted for being Jewish, the twins fall prey to the whims of their violent father. Janos’s love for his brother is slowly eroded as Lukacs proves himself to be ruthless and manipulative. When Monika comes into their young lives, their mutual jealousies heighten and threaten to tear them apart.

1956 – Hungary is in the grip of revolution, rebelling against Soviet oppression. As the Soviet tanks roll in to crush the uprising, Lukacs and Janos find themselves in Budapest at the epicentre of events. Amid the violence and death that descends over the city, the twins’ seething bitterness and their shared love for Monika finally explodes with devastating consequences.

“A good, fast, page-turning read and I cared about the characters and wanted to know what happened to them.”

“Fraternal jealousies and rivalries are searingly drawn.”

Rupert Colley is the founder, editor and writer of the highly successful "History In An Hour" series of ebooks and audio, published by HarperCollins.

"My Brother the Enemy" is his first novel.