Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers

"It’s so different than the YA nonfiction we’ve just discussed. Heiligman’s book is a multi-layered work of cultural history. It is a tightly wound story of two brothers, one of whom goes on to become one of the most famous impressionist painters and the other a seller of paintings. Both Van Gogh brothers played a central role in the history of late 19th-century art and ended up dying tragically, within months of one another. Support Five Books Five Books interviews are expensive to produce. If you're enjoying this interview, please support us by donating a small amount . It gives the reader a feel for Western Europe in the 1870s and 1880s, for the countryside and vibrant art scene that inspired the brothers. It builds into a full biography of Van Gogh and his cohort. History is not at the center of the book; it’s the wings for the story. It’s different from the other titles on this list, but they are all examples of the extraordinary level of talent that writers are bringing to this category. It’s a spare narrative, almost a literary work, written in a novelistic voice that at times is internal to the minds of the two central characters. Readers who are not inclined towards history and nonfiction could easily get pulled into the story. You could approach it with no prior knowledge of art history or even with no prior interest in art. It’s the type of book you can hand to almost any kid and they would be drawn to it."