Review of “James & Elle” by Casey Rae

Score: 91/100 (9.1 out of 10)

James & Elle is an interesting example of a pseudo-memoir or autofiction (a blend of autobiographical elements and fiction) by Casey Rae!

This story follows two dysfunctional siblings, the titular Elle and James, who—despite having grown up under the same roof—are two entirely different people.

Elle is portrayed as a caring but emotionally burdened woman. From childhood, she faces emotional and psychological challenges that stem from her dysfunctional family dynamics, particularly the divorce of her parents and her brother’s troubled behavior. She is independent, often strong-willed, and driven by a desire to create stability in her life.

Her defining characteristic seems to be her feeling of obligation and responsibility for others including her brother, who repeatedly makes poor decisions (as we'll get to).

Meanwhile, James is depicted as troubled, emotionally vulnerable, and deeply scarred by his past experiences. He deals with trauma from both his childhood and adulthood, particularly from his military deployment. Despite his difficulties, James has a certain charm and vulnerability that endears him to those around him, but his behavior also alienates him from his family, particularly Elle.

The defining aspect of James's character is his lifelong struggles and battles with addiction, which he uses as a coping mechanism to overcome his PTSD. In fact, his addiction becomes so severe that he even plans to use his military deployment as an avenue to receive free drugs to fuel that addiction.

James repeatedly makes poor decisions. Furthermore, he has a poor attitude that flounders between being nonchalant to outright nihilism. James seems to lack the drive, commitment, and determination that defines Elle, a division which—interestingly—seems to define many pairs of siblings in real life.

While this is an interesting dynamic to explore, it also seems a bit cliché to us, having read so many similar books. For example, Leslie's Kain's entire Secrets in the Mirror series is about two siblings who are the complete opposite of one another despite being twins and growing up in the same home—one sibling is hard-working and makes good decisions, the other is addicted, troubled, and makes poor decisions. Sound familiar? Well, it's also basically the plot of A Sister Ago by Caitlin Buhr and There's No Cure For Impossible by Carolyn Summer Quinn.

While it's a pretty tiresome trope, it can still work. Thankfully, Casey Rae is a skilled enough writer to make it work.

One thing that we will say about this book is that you need to be patient, give it time, and let it breathe. It starts out quite slow and a bit flat, but it becomes increasingly more interesting and tense as it goes along, especially as James's addiction becomes worse and the stakes become higher and higher as Elle grows a family of her own.

As we learned in Secrets in the Mirror, it's relatively easy to be your brother's keeper until you start introducing a new life partner, pets, and a kid into the mix. Do you want your new family exposed to someone like that? Do you want them serving as a ball and chain around your ankle? At what point do you need to allow them to make their own choices—whether good or bad—and accept personal responsibility?

In that sense, this is a thought-provoking book with a story that many will be able to relate to.

Check it out on Amazon!