From the Bookshelf of Constant Reader…

The Sisters Brothers

Patrick deWitt

Start date: July 15, 2012

Finish date: July 15, 2012

Discussion: Reading List

Discussion leader: Roxanne

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Reading List

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What Members Thought

Dec 31, 2011 Ken rated it really liked it

Shelves: contemporary, finished-in-2012

One if by title and two if by content, Patrick deWitt's THE SISTERS BROTHERS is an oxymoron of sorts. Set in the suitably wild west during gold rush days, it follows two brothers, Eli (the big one with a heart... or shall we say, some semblance of a conscience) and Charlie (no filter and no compunctions), who are hired killers. These hired killers, however, are as articulate with the tongue as they are with the gun. By this I mean they can parse a sentence and grace it with some decent vocabular One if by title and two if by content, Patrick deWitt's THE SISTERS BROTHERS is an oxymoron of sorts. Set in the suitably wild west during gold rush days, it follows two brothers, Eli (the big one with a heart... or shall we say, some semblance of a conscience) and Charlie (no filter and no compunctions), who are hired killers. These hired killers, however, are as articulate with the tongue as they are with the gun. By this I mean they can parse a sentence and grace it with some decent vocabulary words, too. Thus, they come off at times like the cartoon chipmunks, Chip and Dale, who can be quite eloquent and polite as they go about the business of blowing people's heads off. The disconcerting effect of this? Humor. Weird humor. Gallows humor, thank you.

Meaning: THE SISTERS BROTHERS will certainly be one of the more unusual reads you'll pick up this year. Well-written, you can see why it was short-listed for the Man Booker Prize. And it was somewhat charming to watch the oafish Eli serve as the voice of "reason" (quotation marks for his temper and occasional lapses) to his less cerebral, more action-oriented brother. Eli is kind to his excuse-of-a-horse, Tub, treats the whores at the hotels like real ladies and not "those kind" of ladies, and questions his brother as to why every encounter must end in mindless violence. The play between these two, then, is intriguing.

The only drawback I could see to the book is that too many of the characters sound the same. That's an awful lot of cartoon chipmunks using fancy vocabulary where you don't expect it -- the "Wild" West. Were they really that facile with the smart talk back then? And did deWitt do this on purpose or in error? In any event, it didn't get in the way of my enjoying the tale, and as the arc of the book is defined by a single "grand" assassination mission (many minor "missions" spring up along the way), the plot has a magnetic pull as well.

Writing style (check), plot (check), and characterization with an asterisk (check). About the only thing missing that I like in a book is description. But really, would guys like the Sisters Brothers care about sunsets, arroyos, and tumbleweeds when there's work to be done? Nah. ...more

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Apr 03, 2012 Val rated it really liked it

Very funny at times, very violent at times, this fable of two desperados captures you on page one and takes you along on a wild ride. Redemption for assassins? -- It could happen.

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Oct 24, 2012 Tony rated it it was amazing

Shelves: prize-contenders

Kind of a mix of Clint Eastwood's movie Unforgiven and something from Cormac McCarthy. Patrick DeWitt uses the old west as a back drop for a narrative on greed, violence and power.

Eli and Charlie Sisters head for San Francisco with murder in mind and reputation that inspires fear. One step behind their prey, the brothers arrive in gold rush era San Francisco, to find a town people can't spend their gold rush dollars fast enough. When the brothers meet their man, events force them to re-examine ...more

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Apr 01, 2012 William rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2012

I enjoyed the book but have to confess that as much as I enjoyed it, I didn't see it as a multiple prize nominee. Themes of loyalty and redemption, love and loss, greed and it's consequences are explored. It is a somewhat perverted hero's journey as Eli and his brother set out to commit a contract killing on behalf of their mysterious employer. Along the way, Eli - never a very committed killer, gains the knowledge and wisdom he needs to bring about the changes that he knows in his heart he must ...more

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Sep 09, 2011 Rosana rated it it was amazing

Shelves: canadian, 2011

I feel I have not given this book the attention and merits it deserved. First, I finished reading it 2 books ago, and only now I come here to write a review. Then, I read it in phases over various weeks, and it definitely deserves to be read in a shorter period of time, with more dedication than I gave it.

I just have to read it again! This time I think I will wait for a long summer weekend at the lake. I want to laugh out loud at the idiosyncrasies of Eli Sisters, the hired for assassin and nar ...more

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Feb 09, 2012 Jessica rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical, audio, western

Described to me as "Cormac McCarthy with a sense of humor," and I think it's apt - deWitt captures a lot of the same fatalistic themes but with a blunter edge than McCarthy's sometimes unremitting darkness. The scene with the abandoned boy and his tendency to provoke head injuries is particularly well-done on that score, and I also really enjoy the way deWitt gives Eli such a measured, precise way of speaking as a counterpoint to the wild violence of his life. Definitely among the best books I'v ...more

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Jun 23, 2018 Lindsey rated it really liked it

Engaging and enjoyable read. The POV felt very authentic and my only significant problem with the story was how faithfully and conveniently certain “off scene” information was captured in a diary. But I can live with that.

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