William (Whisky) and Charlie are identical twins. Inseparable as children they gradually grew apart in their teens and young adulthood with Whisky being the outgoing, popular, successful one and Charlie believing he is trailing in his brother's wake. Now in their early thirties the twins have not really spoken for years but then one phone call changes everything. Whisky has been seriously injured in a car accident and is in a coma and Charlie realises he may never get the chance to say all the things he wants to say to his brother.
Although based around Whisky and Charlie, this book is much more than that. It is the story of a family fractured by divorce, distanced by immigration and deceived by secrets but also bolstered by love and acceptance and just getting on with things. It is full of wonderful secondary characters and realistic dilemmas (I especially like the character of Rosa). As for Charlie - he both irritated and endeared himself to me, but as the story unfolded further and more of the past was revealed I came to understand him much more fully.
The other very clever element in this book is the phonetic alphabet. With each chapter named after a phonetic letter and continuing references to it within the storyline, it proves itself to be a deep anchor around which the book flows. The author has shown considerable skill weaving this element into the story.
Written in an easy, conversational prose, Whisky Charlie Foxtrot is an easy book to read that flows seamlessly between past and present as the story developed. I had no problems following the format.
Overall this is a warm, moving, sad at times story that explores the realities of twins, families and relationships in general and celebrates the way that issues can be sorted and solutions found to problems if you just look hard enough.
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