Book info

• Title The Sisters Brothers
• Author Patrick deWitt
• Year 2011
• Genre Western

Hermann Kermit Warm is going to die. Across 1000 miles of Oregon desert his assassins, the notorious Eli and Charlies Sisters, ride - fighting, shooting, and drinking their way to Sacramento. But their prey isn't an easy mark, the road is long and bloody, and somewhere along the path Eli begins to question what he does for a living - and whom he does it for. The Sisters Brothers pays homage to the classic Western, transforming it into an unforgettable ribald tour de force. Filled with a remarkable cast of losers, cheaters, and ne'er-do-wells from all stripes of life-and told by a complex and compelling narrator, it is a violent, lustful odyssey through the underworld of the 1850s frontier that beautifully captures the humor, melancholy, and grit of the Old West and two brothers bound by blood, violence, and love.

Thoughts

This was an intriguing one, like nothing I have really read before, although it occasionally reminded me of the two lead characters in Of Mice and Men. Following two brothers as they go on a job for their boss - a job that involves tracking a thief and dispensing with 1800s style justice.

I was fascinated by the slow, plodding pace of the book, and the calm manner in which it is told. It comes first person from the less aggressive of the two brothers, but even when there are bursts of violence, it still seems to be told in a calm and orderly fashion. It makes it, and them, a bit more palatable, as there is little to endear the two brothers to you aside from that.

It’s a slow build up as you get to the destination, and everything that happens after is sort of predictable but also satisfying at the same time. Overall, I liked the book, although I must admit that I can’t really put my finger on why!

Rating: 4 / 5