The Bad Angel Brothers

by Paul Theroux

An evocative novel about two brothers whose rivalry as youths in the Massachusetts town of Littleford reverberates throughout their lives, with striking consequences. As they grow into men, they develop into very different people on very different paths - Frank becomes a successful lawyer, and Cal becomes a geologist - but they are constantly drawn back to one other. As they grow into middle age, their relationship reaches crisis point after the death of their widowed mother. The Belanger Brothers is an intimate portrait of family, resentment, and the bonds that shape our lives.

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Contemporary, Audiobook, The United States Of America, Crime, Literature

428 pages, Hardcover

First published September 6, 2022

About the author

Paul Edward Theroux is an American travel writer and novelist, whose best known work is The Great Railway Bazaar (1975), a travelogue about a trip he made by train from Great Britain through Western and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, through South Asia, then South-East Asia, up through East Asia, as far east as Japan, and then back across Russia to his point of origin. Although perhaps best known as a travelogue writer, Theroux has also published numerous works of fiction, some of which were made into feature films. He was awarded the 1981 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for his novel The Mosquito Coast.

He is the father of Marcel and Louis Theroux, and the brother of Alexander and Peter. Justin Theroux is his nephew.

Reviews

[Laura Rogers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Paul Theroux's nonfiction travel books but The Bad Angel Brothers is the first novel of his I have read. Not surprisingly, there is plenty of world travel to be enjoyed here but mainly we have a capital D for dysfunctional family drama set in a small town. It is the story of two brothers locked in a sibling rivalry gone terribly wrong. Cal, the younger brother is the sole narrator. According to Cal, his brother Frank is a despicable blight on the world, a manipulative sociopath and compulsive liar who has everyone fooled except Cal. Frank is the worst of the legal profession, a bottom dwelling, ambulance chasing personal injury attorney and he has spent his life making Cal miserable. But we have to wonder, is Cal a reliable narrator?
We only know his side of the story. Why does he keep falling for Frank's schemes? Is Cal really so pure, so innocent, so naive? And what will it take for Cal to finally stand up to Frank?

As always, I thoroughly enjoyed Paul Theroux's writing and I look forward to reading more of his fiction. I deducted one star as I felt the story could have benefited from a bit of paring in the first two thirds of the story.
Otherwise 👍.

I received a drc from the publisher via Netgalley.
Publication is slated for 9/6/22.

[Faith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Now on their 50s, Frank and Cal are brothers who grew up in a small Massachusetts town. The older brother Frank never left the town and became a successful lawyer. Cal became a successful geologist and traveled the world, but wound up living in the same town. They hate each other. This is not a love/hate relationship. They can’t seem to get out of each other’s heads. Why the hell they lived in the same town is inexplicable to me. They are both despicable, but we never get Frank’s pov, so we hear the entire story from Cal’s side and in his view, Frank has only negative traits - from his twisted face to his body odor. And then there is his greed (but that is a case of the pot calling the kettle black). The writing was ok, but I really wanted to hear someone else’s perspective on the relationship. 3.5 stars

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

[Kasa Cotugno · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beginning with The Great Railway Bazaar over 45 years ago, I've been reading the works of Paul Theroux. Equally proficient in fiction and non-, he is a master of experience. And now, at 81 years old, he has not gotten lazy nor has he lost his immense sense of curiosity. The Bad Angel Brothers begins as a small town character study, at times I felt it could have been written by either Richard, Ford or Russo, masters of that form. But the narrator is Cal, and I wonder if that is not by chance an homage to Steinbeck. Told entirely from Cal's point of view, it tells of his brother Frank's manipulation of his life from early days, and after gaining means of escaping Massachusetts via life as a geologist, presents himself as almost a saint compared to Frank's chicanery. But being a work by Theroux, there is a heart stopping account of a jungle trek between Zambia and the Congo, for the noblest of reasons, with all the dangers and organic detail we've come to expect from this immeasurably talented man. Kudos.

[Karen M · Rating 3 out of 5]

For me a four star read must have three things, one, lovely descriptive language which this book had a great deal of to my enjoyment, two, it must have well-drawn characters which this book had way too much character development and three, a storyline that holds my attention which this book really didn’t seem to have until I had read two-thirds of the book..

When I find myself at the half-way point of a book and it’s still not holding my attention due to a total lack of an interesting storyline (or in this case any storyline at all), in fact, I’m actually bored, I can’t wait for it to be over. Even if the author wants to hold the big reveal until the end, well, there has to be at least a hint that there is a big reveal. Just one sentence could have made this a more interesting read. Just a hint of something important that the author won’t reveal until the end. If there is something to reveal at the end, please, give me a clue, please because you’re losing me with every page I read unless I know something momentous is coming.

Well, something did happen finally at the end of the book. I wish I could have given this book four stars because of the amount of research and language but, also, due to the lack of a storyline for so many chapters and way too much character development I can’t give it more than three stars.

This book was a free download thanks to Scene of the Crime, HarperCollins Publishers Inc and Netgalley.

[AndiReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Belanger brothers, nicknamed "Bad Angel Brothers," are Cal and Frank - two very different men who exist at polar opposites.. We learn much of their backstory as children in a small Massachusetts town via Cal, who seems to perpetually be the underdog.
We all know, however, not to discount the underdog! In true Theroux fashion, we travel the world with Cal as he searches for metals and gems. The descriptions are vibrant and remind me of the first Theroux book I read and the start of my own wanderlust.

This book is a bit different, and is more of a character study or slow burn psychological novel. If you like complicated and dysfunctional families, underdogs and revenge stories, or just want to travel the jungles and deserts of our world with a master storyteller, The Bad Angel Brothers is for you!
#Marinerbooks #TheBadAngelBrothers #PaulTheroux #NetGalley

[Emily Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Bad Angel Brothers
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Genre: Fiction Literature
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 9/6/22
Author: Paul Theroux
Publisher: Mariner Books
Pages: 352
Goodreads Rating: 3.91

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Mariner Books and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: An evocative novel about two brothers whose rivalry as youths in the Massachusetts town of Littleford reverberates throughout their lives, with striking consequences. As they grow into men, they develop into very different people on very different paths - Frank becomes a successful lawyer, and Cal becomes a geologist - but they are constantly drawn back to one other. As they grow into middle age, their relationship reaches crisis point after the death of their widowed mother. The Belanger Brothers is an intimate portrait of family, resentment, and the bonds that shape our lives.

My Thoughts: The story is narrated by Cal, slightly an unreliable narrator, from his POV. Cal is portrayed as the “good brother” while Frank, the “bad brother.” This was a different read for me, more of a character driven plot with a psychological domestic spin. I love how Theroux always includes a global spin on his books. The message of this book is how hatred can grow into revenge, which is not a good thing. You should always say how you feel, especially to family. The characters were well developed, they were the plot, they had depth, emotion, somewhat mysterious, and creative. The author’s writing style was complex, empowering, through provoking, and unique. I would recommend picking up this novel next week when it releases, especially if you love dysfunction family environments.

[Elaine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Bad Angel Brothers.

I've heard of the author before, also known as the uncle of the actor Justin Theroux, but this is the first book I've ever read by him.

The writing is great, there's no doubt, but this is not a thriller or suspenseful.

** No thrilling spoilers ahead **

It's about two brothers; the oldest a manipulative and charming d**k, the younger brother (the narrative is told from his POV) is a studious, naive man who is faced with a terrible decision after his brother creates havoc in his life.

There is a lot to learn in The Bad Angel Brothers, topics that may or may not appeal to you, including geology, mining, the exploitation of child slave labor.

The topics were heavy and deep, and not stuff I'm a fan of when I read fiction.

I read to escape, for fun, and yes, to learn, but not about rocks. I'm not into rocks. Or mining.

Hardcore fans of the author's might enjoy this, but this wasn't for me.

I might give the author's earlier books a try since I like his writing style.

[Lori L (She Treads Softly) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Bad Angel Brothers by Paul Theroux is a highly recommended psychological drama.

Brothers Frank and Cal Belanger are complete opposites in this drama of sibling rivalry and betrayal. Cal's older brother Frank has always been the favorite child of his mother, which left Cal as his father's, who passed away young. As Frank went on to become a lawyer, Cal pursued his dream of prospecting for gold and other precious minerals around the world. Frank, who craved control and money above all else, took advantage of Cal, asking for loans and even appropriating Cal's stories and telling them as his own. Cal's dream was only to leave their New England small town and his greatest mistake was coming back and not severing all contact with Frank.

The novel opens with Cal returning from a mining venture only to find his wife distant and seemingly too friendly with Frank. Then the narrative jumps back in time to when the brothers were younger and, after college, when Cal took off to look for gold. While Cal is only interested in making enough to get by and finds real joy in the search, Frank is envious of his wealth, asks for loans, and seriously looks for ways to scam his brother. After an incident in the desert where Cal saves another man, he is welcomed into a family where he feels wanted for the first time. At this Cal should have cut ties with Frank and his mother and disappeared. But he didn't.

The plot goes on to cover Cal's prospecting and work in various locations, including the desert South West, Alaska, Colombian, and Zambia. Admittedly, this large portion of the novel will be engaging for those who enjoy geology and learning about different areas in the world. For some it will seem to be a bit too slow. But, as Cal is traveling for his work, he is also sharing more hints at the psychological campaign that Frank is waging. He is clearly scheming, manipulating, and planning some nefarious but legal downfall to afflict Cal.

The writing is excellent and the characters are finely drawn. Cal shares some of his own imperfections while also detailing those of Frank. There is a question that will arise continuously: why didn't Cal cut off all contact with Frank after college? If a sibling has shown they wish you ill, especially to this extent, why continue any relationship?

When you get close to the end of The Bad Angel Brothers, you will not be able to read and turn the pages fast enough while you are mentally telling Cal what to do. When he finally comes to the realization (that most readers will have reached much earlier) the novel is over. This is a novel that will stick with you, but also ends so abruptly that it will leave you wanting some closure.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of HarperCollins.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2022/0...

[Jo Dervan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Bad Angel Brothers
The Belanger brothers, Cal and Frank, were very different from each other. The boys grew up in a small Massachusetts town and were rivals from an early age. Popular Frank was his mother’s favorite. He regularly told lies about Cal and did everything he could to ruin Cal’s reputation. Eventually Frank went off to law school and returned to be a respected attorney in the small town.

However Cal, a quiet thoughtful boy, decided that it was best to get out from his brother’s shadow and so he followed his dream of being a geologist. This work took him to locations all over the globe. Cal had several successful ventures mining for gold and gems and returned to the town only sporadically. He was soon a wealthy man and decided to marry Vida, a young woman he had met in Miami and he brought her home to the town. He bought a large home in a prominent part of town but continued making long trips to distance locations in search of gems and precious minerals. While Cal was away, Frank befriended Vida and Cal’s son. Frank turned Vida and the son Against Cal and eventually Cal’s marriage failed. After their Mother died, Cal learned that Frank had retained part ownership of her house. Frank embarked on a campaign to revive Cal from the home.
Between the divorce and loss of his fortune in the settlement (both due to Frank’s mettling ) this new harassment made Cal set on seeking revenge. The only way he could think of the deal with Frank was to murder him.
The book examines the hatred between the two men and what provoked it over the years. It is told from the point of view of Cal, the wronged brother, and explains the many reasons why the boys were enemies for their entire lives.
I received this ARC from Edelweiss and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[Monica San Miguel · Rating 4 out of 5]

El leitmotiv de esta novela es la relación de dos hermanos, una relación tremendamente tóxica en la que el autor consigue transmitir al lector un odio visceral hacia un hermano maquiavélico, rastrero y retorcido, de esas personas que consiguen arruinar la vida de los demás, además Paul Theroux utiliza la experiencia de sus libros de viajes en la descripción de los diferentes ambientes naturales así como consigue integrar la faceta geológica como un personaje mas de la historia, a propósito de lo cual .. el título en inglés me parece mucho mas atinado que el español que puede despistar un poco en cuanto al objetivo del libro. En definitiva me ha gustado mucho, Theroux consigue siempre tenerte atrapada en la historia del protagonista

[Kate Ayers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Um, wow. The Belanger brothers are certainly a pair. But Frank, the eldest, has an evil side that sneaks up on people. His little brother Cal has always seen it but, since everyone else waves off Cal's concern, he generally ends up doubting himself. He shouldn't have. Frank is a competitive manipulator who wants to win, at any cost. And he wants to destroy Cal in the process. Watching the dynamics between the "Bad Angel" brothers is both fascinating and frightening. Frank seems to have the upper hand, but has he pushed Cal too far?

[Pat · Rating 1 out of 5]

Another excruciating example of an author in love with his own voice. There is no reason for this book to exist: Phillip Roth has already brilliant covered aging white male angst. This book is mannered, grossly over written and dated. It reminded me why I never read another Theroux book after Mosquito Coast. Theroux has a habit of sabatoguing his forward movement by looping back to re-describe or reiterate the same information. This novel could have been summarized in one paragraph, or less: Annoying brothers irritate each other for decades, prompting one to a farcical homicide attempt.

[Randall Nelson · Rating 2 out of 5]

The best thing I can say about this book is that I finished it because I wanted to find out how it ended and I was disappointed with that. I was never invested in the characters. I agree that it needs editing, pace was very slow. Sibling rivalry can be a compelling plot, this one might have worked better as a novella

[Tami · Rating 1 out of 5]

300 pages in before a plot emerges. A thin, boring plot.I wish I were the type of person who could just quit on a book. 🤦🏻‍♀️

[Chris · Rating 1 out of 5]

Awful story line, nauseatingly repetitive.
This is the last Theroux novel I'll read. His travelogues and on the road musings hold some interest but this and A Dead Hand are unforgivable

[Regina Andreassen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I liked it but it is not as good as Motherland (which was fabulous) even though, this book also explores the world of dysfunctional families. I shall proceed to share my impressions of this novel, but without spoiling it.

Cal, the narrator, unveils to us, the readers, the complex relationship he has with his brother Frank. Frank’s personality is presented as the antithesis of Cal’s. Cal despises and resents Frank; Cal is convinced that he knows everything about Frank’s motives for doing things and that only he: Cal, can fully grasp the dark depths of Frank’s nature. Alternatively, Cal depicts himself as a man who generally means well even though he admits to be flawed - yet, somehow Cal always finds a way to find an excuse for the things he does, it is his way to make himself look a bit better. Anyway, after reading the first three chapters of the novel, I concluded that most of Cal’s description of events and of Frank, must be taken with caution. My perception of Cal is that he is an unreliable narrator. Part of the problem was his portrayal of Frank; who was described not as a fully fleshed human being but almost as a caricaturesque evil figure; a man without any redeeming quality; a person who could never hold a positive or unselfish feeling. I am sure those type of individuals exist, but the lack of nuance in Cal’s narration is still problematic to me.

As the story progresses the tension heightens, and this is when despite the verbosity of some chapters, I was finally captured by the story. At this point I started questioning Cal’s account to a greater extent than I initially did, though at the same time my dislike for Frank - as he was described by Cal- increased sharply. Then I questioned my own biases, I wondered if I believed Cal solely because he was the only voice we hear, because we only ‘see’ things through his eyes or perhaps the author really wanted us to believe that Cal’s account was true and faithful to reality? Could it be that simple, though? This is why I would have valued chapters in which we could read and feel Frank’s perspective; but those chapters were not written.

The ending is not satisfying. I wanted to be surprised, perhaps something else could have been unveiled? The denouement of the story was poorly executed and to be frank, it was a bit ridiculous.

Lastly, I would like to make an observation about the length of the book. I am a person who can enjoy very well written long books (600+ pages); in fact, my favourite books are longer than the average, so the length of a book is not something that prevents me from enjoying it. There are cases, however, when the length of a book negatively impacts the delivery and core of the story. This is the case with this novel. Some sections were superfluous to the story or simply repetitive; hence, the book would have had a stronger impact if it had been a bit shorter or if the story was also written from Frank’s perspective. The latter would have been my preference.

Overall, I was satisfied but not pleased enough to give The Bad Angel Brothers a 4 stars rating, thus 3.5 stars better reflect my opinion of this novel.

[Nancy Mills · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brotherly rivalry, carried to extremes.
This was a great audiobook, very engaging and well written. The kind of psychological study I really enjoy. Kind of chilling, the antagonist is the narrator's younger brother and he's deliciously evil in a way only the narrator can see.
Three and a half rounded up to four. I found the ending anti-climatic. Still a very captivating novel and great fun to listen to ... well, if you like other people's angst. Which, come to think of it, is what seems to make a good novel.

[J Earl · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Bad Angel Brothers by Paul Theroux examines familial dynamics when brothers become each other's worst enemies.

While there were moments where I thought the story moved a little too slow, for the most part it was a nice steady pace which allowed tension to build. The reader will likely fluctuate between siding with Cal, the narrator, and wondering whether he is a reliable narrator. Either way, the things these men do to each other, from blatant hostility to passive aggressive acts, will keep you turning pages.

The one thing you can count on in a Theroux book is good writing, especially in creating vivid descriptions of scenes. In some ways I think it is this strength which makes some parts seem a tad slow. I would get into the scene description and then have to pull myself back to what was happening.

If you like psychological character studies that build to what eventually is an inevitable conclusion, you will love this.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.

[William Nist · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two brothers, with diverging personalities and interests, engage an a lifelong descending dance of manipulation, retribution, passive aggressive then actual fighting; until the younger brother can take it no more. Finances and marriages are ruined along the way.

The novel has an interesting enough narrative, but the character portraits are the real calling card. Not a lot of characters to keep track of (which is a plus for me these days). A surprise ending which you may or may not like (I liked it). And at one point late in the novel the younger brother contemplates an escape to Yavapai Country Arizona (where I live).

[vicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book is for the haters. the way that the m/c describes his brother is hilarious, but wasn’t expecting the dark turn definitely very unhinged. the writing was very descriptive and the setting was surprisingly very well done. still felt like something was missing though.

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great writer, this is a cold story of two competing brothers in which the youngest gets the short end of the stick. It occurs to him to kill the elder.

[Alvaro Fernández · Rating 2 out of 5]

..

[Jacob Moses · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note to self: Read more Paul Theroux

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

In The Bad Angel Brothers, Paul Theroux tells the story of Frank and Cal, brothers that grew up together in a small community. Told from Cal’s perspective, the reader sees how passive aggressive and manipulative Frank is, and how he slowly destroys Cal’s life. The other people around him regard him as a hero, making the situation even more unbearable for Cal, who would happily be far away doing work as a geologist. But as much as that can work some of the time, it is only so long before he gets sucked back into his relationship with Frank, a situation he exacerbates when he moves his wife into the community where he and his brother grew up. Theroux does an excellent job in making Frank into a person you hate and can’t wait to have nothing to do with. This, for me, is the biggest downfall of the book - I couldn’t wait to be done having any interaction with Frank. It makes you empathize deeply with the protagonist but it doesn’t make you want to continue reading the book, especially when you want to tell Cal to walk away or just say no even if it is his family. The end of the book was also a letdown for me. It feels like it is building towards a major confrontation and instead the ending feels more like a whimper. It certainly didn’t make me feel like putting up with Frank for hundreds of pages was worth the ending. This is definitely an interesting and emotional book regarding sibling dynamics but it was, quite Frankly, very hard for me to read. A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Mark Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read and reviewed the last seven books from the “Dean of Travel Writing,” Paul Theroux, and was fortunate enough to obtain one of the early copies of this book. I wrote my latest book, My Saddest Pleasures: 50 Years on the Road, in honor and appreciation of Theroux and another travel writer, “who personally knew and were inspired by Moritz Thomsen and passed their enthusiasm on to me.” Thomsen wrote the Peace Corps experience classic, Living Poor: A Peace Corps Chronicle. Theroux’s book, The Tao of Travel, which celebrates 50 years of travel writing, inspired my series, “The Yin & Yang of Travel.”
Theroux is probably the most prolific of the Returned Peace Corps writers, with 33 works in fiction and 53 books overall. As with his latest book, I wasn’t enthusiastic about reading it, as I prefer his nonfiction travel stories. But just as was the case reading the life of the aging surfer in Hawaii in Under the Wave of Waimae, he does a stellar job developing the characters in this psychological thriller.
This most recent book is a classic tale of a dysfunctional family. A younger brother’s rivalry with his older brother, Frank, a domineering brother and a well-known lawyer in their small community in Massachusetts. Frank also has a propensity to come up with some vicious betrayals, which leads to the growing frustration and psychosis of his younger brother, Cal.
Andrew Ervin of the “New York Times Book Review” does an admirable job summing up the narrative:
Theroux soon takes us back to their shared childhood and the lifelong rivalry that led to such fratricidal ire. Cal grows up to be a metallurgist and a prospector “searching wild places for minerals and metals.” His escape from their stifling hometown first takes him to the American Southwest in search of solitude and, more importantly, gold. What he finds instead in the desert is a half-dead body. He’s able to nurse the man back to health and return him to his fortified Arizona compound, only to discover that he has rescued none other than Don Carlos, the patriarch of a Mexican cartel. For his efforts, Cal is accepted as an honorary member of la familia Zorrilla, a wealthy, and obviously powerful family.”


As someone from the Southwest, I appreciated Theroux’s description of the impact of the desert’s vastness on Cal, “My being in the bosom of the wilderness granted me silence and self-reflection; my prospecting was a form of meditation. As the weeks and months passed, I became more and more suited to living in the austerity of rocks and stones and cactus, hardier than I’d ever been, but more than that, mentally strong…. It was a spiritual awakening in one sense, but with my feet on solid ground, on bedrock, far from Frank’s orbit.

Fortunately, the author takes Cal to mining operations in Australia, Central Africa, and Columbia for those who suffer from wanderlust. Theroux’s Peace Corps experience probably helped him describe the “paradox of serious travel:”
You go far but after a while, months rather than years, it wears off. Then all is smooth in your life until you return to your hometown and are hit hard, stunned anew. There is no recovering from it. The culture shock of arriving home never leaves you—you long to escape it, to go away again soon. This became the latter of my working life.

The author does a masterful job describing one morbid scene in Africa where Cal is searching for precious ores,
It was a rectangular ditch at the periphery of the clearing, and the movement in the air just above it, like a skein of woodsmoke, were flies, whirring, gleaming, their blue bodies fattened by the light.

We approached the buzzing hole, but when the breeze lifted, and the reek hit us, we drew back. Moyo leaned and looked in, holding his shirt to his face. I stepped behind him and saw a man crammed into the pit, almost filling it, because he was bloated, tightened against his clothes, swollen and stinking, his whole head covered with flies.
“Congo,” Moyo said. We have arrived.

Cal’s character as a white savior is aptly described by Andrew Ervin, as well,
I didn’t fully loathe Cal’s white savior act until he returns to an emerald mine he co-owns in Zambia and ogles a village woman while she’s balancing laundry on her head. ‘I supposed like some colonizers—I was smitten,’ Call tells us. He hires the woman, Tutwa, as a servant and she soon becomes his “junior wife,” making her, by my reckoning, the third person of color whom he rescues from degraded conditions and who gratefully accepts him as family. He ends their affair later by paying for her to go to nursing school and start a new life. What a guy.

He met his wife-to-be and the other person of color in Colombia, where he worked for an emerald-mining operation. Vita is a half-Cuban woman he meets, falls in love with, and brings her home to Massachusetts, where they have a son. Vita becomes overdependent on the older brother, Frank, who provided pro-bono work for her charity to help children.
Much of the book’s narrative is a constant litany of complaints and resentment of Cal towards his older brother. And Theroux is at his best as he builds these tensions and resentments toward what Ervin calls the “inevitable homicidal rage.”
This growing resentment, boarding on becoming delusional, is reflected in this scene where Cal is in bed staring up at the ceiling of the deteriorating family home he has returned to:
Inspired by the stains (stains I regard as prophetic, omens to be seized and understood), I saw Frank as an infection. In my mind, I simplified him and made him small. He was teeth and claws; he was a greedy appetite; he was a yellow stain; he was a bad smell. He was not a person. I needed, for my sanity, to be rid of him so that I could go on living.

Cal’s frustration comes to the fore when his lawyer presents him with a bill of $64,243 for litigation brought on by Frank. “I’m underwater, people say of their debt. It’s an accurate image: I was sinking and suffocating.”
I won’t give away the final scene, which makes the read worthwhile, only to say that the cartel leader whose life Cal saved would become an essential part of this story’s inevitable, violent end.
I agree with this summation on the inner flap of this book, “Few writers have as keen an eye for human nature as the inimitable Paul Theroux, and this riveting tale of adventure, betrayal and the true cost of family bonds is an unmissable new work from one of America’s most distinguished and beloved novelists.”

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book interested me a lot, in the beginning.
I am a rock hound and have been in several of the places the main character went.
However, the author ruined it for me by portraying Cal as a spineless weak man.
He not only rented his sadistic brother a room in his brain, he gave it to him to freely use and enjoy.
The trails and tribulations he suffered at the brothers hands were mostly because he had no idea how to say no.
Would have been a good book, but as far as I believe, it was ruined by all the sibling angst.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fascinating story of two brothers, Frank and Cal Belanger, known by their local nickname, "The Bad Angel brothers". Cal is the narrator throughout, a geologist intent on traveling the world in search of precious gems and metals. Frank is a successful local lawyer. I thoroughly enjoyed the parts of the book describing Cal's explorations in various parts of the world and his perceptions of the natural world! This is a very character centered novel, with the author building suspense through the actions and interactions of the two brothers, and their families. Cal perceives Frank as a manipulator, but Cal also has issues of his own. The plot twists and turns throughout until the final confrontation between the brothers, with an ending I never anticipated! Thank you to the Scene of the Crime, the author, publisher and Netgalley for my complimentary copy!

[Christopher McKee · Rating 4 out of 5]

There have been a few quasi-negative reviews of this book since the time spent describing the various ways in which Frank is a horrible brother and human being borders on tedious. Yet, the piece is, overall, classic Theroux. Descriptive beyond belief, caustic at times, very perceptive of human nature, and one follows the now well-known approach by Theroux of the double life/paradox in his books. Theroux must have spent a great deal of time researching geology and mining, as the way he works the knowledge of these activities into characters, feelings, and the odd place is quite remarkable and unique. The ending was a little disappointing and I thought Theroux could've spent more time crafting a more interesting (and preferably gruesome) ending.

[Michael Varady · Rating 1 out of 5]

I won a free copy of this book from the publisher and in exchange I'm giving it my honest review.

I hated this book, I really wish I could just put a book down. And not.finish it but I couldn't do that. So I fi ished it.

I really don't get it, it was boring and didn't back up until the last 30 pages.

[Kathy Engle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I got into the characters regardless of whether I liked them. I couldn’t stand Cal’s brother Frank but appreciated the description of his looks and wiley ways. I wish he didn’t have so much power over Cal. It was an interesting storyline that included details of Cal’s travels. I recommend.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.