A review by chaz11
The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt

4.0

'I lay in the dark thinking about the difficulties of family, how crazy and crooked the stories of a bloodline can be.'

A gritty tale of two brothers travelling the American frontier for their next kill in a life of hurt and bloodshed. While Charlie has no plans of stopping, Eli questions whether this job will be his last.

[b: The Sisters Brothers|9850443|The Sisters Brothers|Patrick deWitt|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1291999900l/9850443._SY75_.jpg|14741473] was different to what I usually read, but I didn't enjoy it any less. It was refreshing and Eli's POV was so well written that I'd happily read more - though his and Charlie's story comes to a satisfying end.

[a: Patrick DeWitt|1041872|Patrick deWitt|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1225095402p2/1041872.jpg]'s portrayal of America in the 1850s felt real, mostly due to the range of characters we meet and their mindsets. There were some vivid descriptions of the locations they visited, but largely it's a character-driven book and that's where it's strengths are.

I enjoyed the prose too. It was simple but poetic at times, in a way that fit Eli's character, that of a regretful contractor killer in the 1850s.

Eli was my favourite character. His conflict with the life he lived was compelling and despite being a terrible man and killer, there was something heart-warming about him - I mean, he gets excited over brushing his teeth! Charlie was interesting too, especially viewing him through Eli's eyes. The brotherhood between them is solid and true and sad, likely my favourite part of the book.

The balance of action to 'quiet' scenes was just right for me. Within the straight forward plot, it never felt like too much, nor did it become boring. That said, while the ending was narratively satisfying, I did find the characters going on a few monologues. This wasn't a terrible thing, though it was enough for me to notice.

This book was definitely easy to read. More than once I found myself picking it up and getting straight back into it, reading for longer than I'd meant to (a good thing, of course :D). Partly due to the short chapter length, but I think there's something in the writing too.

The book won't be to everyone's taste; most of the women are prostitutes, there's plenty of violence, and harm to animals. Other things weren't to my personal taste either, but it didn't detract too much from my enjoyment of the book.

Despite that, it was a joy to read and touched on a variety of topics (greed, greatness, love, death and family). If you're looking for something different to your usual western, for a dogged adventure about the ways we survive and how we outgrow them, this might be the book for you.