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Having lots of siblings is like having built-in best friends.

We all have competitive relationships with our siblings.

Sibling relationships are complicated. All family relationships are. Look at Hamlet.

When you have a lot of siblings, you always do something to feel special.

Sibling relationships figure in a lot of my books. You don't often see relationships between adult siblings explored in fiction.

Many people don't have relationships to their siblings in adulthood, or they have superficial ones. It's sort of unfashionable, particularly in America, to be close to your family.

The oldest sibling always knows things that the younger ones don't.

When I watch my kids, and I see the primal level at which the sibling relationships are formed, then I completely understand what these unresolved adult sibling problems are based on. You know, 'Mom liked you better' and, 'You got your own room and I didn't.'

Having two older brothers is a healthy reminder that you're always closer to the bottom than you are to the top.

I grew up with an older brother, and the bond between siblings is unlike anything else, and it can be a real journey to accept what that bond is once you both mature into it. Because it's not always what you want. It's not always what you expect. It's not always what you imagined or hoped. But it's one of the most important things in the world.