About Blood Brothers
Blood Brothers is a novel by Willy Russell. It is set in Liverpool in the mid-1960s to early 1970s, and follows the lives of twin brothers, Edward and Mickey, who are separated at birth and brought up in very different circumstances.The play opens with the narrator, Mrs. Johnstone, telling the audience that she has often thought about how different her life would have been if she had not had twins. She then proceeds to tell the story of how she gave birth to twins, Mickey and Edward, but was forced to give one of them up for adoption because she could not afford to keep both of them.Mrs. Johnstone’s husband, Mr. Johnstone, is very unhappy about the situation and is worried that his wife will not be able to cope with two babies. However, Mrs. Johnstone is determined to keep both of her sons and manages to convince her husband to let her keep Mickey.As the boys grow up, they become best friends and are inseparable. However, their different backgrounds begin to cause problems. Edward, who was adopted into a wealthy family, starts to feel like he is better than Mickey and tries to distance himself from him.This causes a rift between the two friends and they eventually stop speaking to each other. However, their paths cross again when they both join the same gang and start working for the same criminal boss, Fagan.The novel follows the twins as they grow up and get involved in crime. It also explores the theme of nature vs. nurture, as it becomes clear that despite their different upbringings, the twins are more alike than they realize.The novel ends tragically, with Edward and Mickey dying in each other’s arms after a botched robbery. As they lay dying, they realize that they were always meant to be blood brothers.
