This book would be interesting to pair with Dostoevsky's Brothers Karamazov: three brothers with different motivations, dealing with a father's ignoble death. The backdrop of the Depression and its crippling poverty are also particularly Russian.

Giving the story some momentum is the dangerous glamor of bank robberies, Prohibition, car chases, gun fights, and mobsters. There's a strong, unexplained supernatural/spiritual element as well, which elevates the story beyond nostalgia or gangster fan service.