Description

Older siblings are bossy, younger siblings always get what they want and only children don’t know how to share. Oh and don’t forget about middle children!

For many of us, our relationships with our siblings will be the longest of our lives, sometimes closing in on a century. Whether loving or fraught, competitive or codependent, these dynamics are integral in shaping who we become. It’s time we acknowledge their significance.

Exploring the unique and complex nature of these bonds, Catherine Carr separates fact from fiction, revealing the truths behind birth order stereotypes, favouritism, unreliable memory-making, 'broken' and blended families, only children, having a sibling with additional needs, estrangement and bereavement. Reflecting on her atypical upbringing, Carr asks us to consider our brothers and sisters beyond the roles we assumed in childhood.

*Interwoven with candid interviews with sibling pairs taken from her hit podcast, Relatively, such as Chris and Xand van Tulleken, Johnny and Lillie Flynn, Nick and Gill Hornby, Manni and Rueben Coe, and more*