Brother.do.you.love.me is the profoundly affecting and powerful memoir of two brothers rebuilding their relationship, after Manni takes the struggling Rueben out of his care home and together they move to the countryside. Hear them discuss this extraordinary journey of hope, resilience and repair.
In the first months of the pandemic, Reuben Coe, aged 38, was living in a home providing care for adults with learning disabilities. For over a year he had been non-verbal, and increasingly isolated, cut off from everyone he loved. He sent his older brother a desperate text message: ‘brother. do. you. love. me.’
Immediately, Manni left his home in Spain, took Reuben out of care and moved them both into a cottage in the countryside. In the stillness of winter, they began a simple routine of walking, inching a little further each day, from the drive to the village, finally to the woods and fields. In the evenings Reuben would draw colourful images of his favourite characters from films and books with his felt-tip pens. As the months moved to spring, on a journey of pain and frustration, revelation and joy, Reuben and Manni discovered it is never too late to rebuild the bonds of brotherhood.
Brother. do. you. love. me. is a dazzling story of hope, resilience and repair for our troubled times. It explores how far we’re capable of going for those we love, and asks how, individually and collectively, we can all take better care of each other.
Location: National Centre for Writing, Dragon Hall
