The Sisters Brothers by Patrick DeWitt
Posted: November 10, 2011 Filed under: Review | Tags: CanLit, Giller Prize, postaweek2011, recommendations, review 3 Comments »
Charlie and Eli Sisters are brothers, assassins for hire and on the way to California to kill prospector Hermann Kermit Warm. Eli, our narrator, wants this to be his last job and dreams of settling down, opening a trading post, and if he can lose a little weight, maybe even falling in love.
The Sisters Brothers is a Western novel, and yet then again, it isn’t. It has all the classic ingredients of a Western, most notably the odyssey, the divey-taverns, the prostitutes and the old-timey language, but it has more. At times humourous, at times poetic, and brutal throughout. It is a novel of contradictions. The brothers are remarkably different and don’t seem to like each other much, yet have an intense and loyal bond to one another. Horses die in fires and have injured eyes gouged out with spoons – yet are loved and treated tenderly. It’s written as historical fiction, yet without feeling any need for historical (or scientific) accuracy.
Their journey from Oregon City to California as narrated by Eli is frequently out of chronological order, and interspersed with his philosophical musings and longings for a simpler life – but it works. The Sisters Brothers was a highly enjoyable read: shocking, amusing and thoughtful. Strongly recommended.
Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: Ecco; Reprint edition (April 26, 2011)
ISBN-10: 0062041266
ISBN-13: 978-0062041265
* Short listed for the 2011 Giller Prize.
Probably one of the best and most enjoyable novels I’ve read in years.
I call it a Western Noir. Poetic, witty, violent. If it were to make it to the big screen, my money is on Tarantino to direct. He’d be perfect.
Apparently the film rights have been sold to John C. Reilly’s production company. I can definitely see him as Eli!
I really enjoyed this book. Usually, award winning novels are chosen because they challenge the reader (but they aren’t very fun to read). This book received so much attention because it’s compelling and intelligent.
FYI, I would love to see J.C. Riley in a movie version of this……