The Sisters Brothers

This just never came together for me. Two brothers, Eli and Charlie Sisters, are sent on a mission by the Commodore to kill a man for reasons unstated. The story, ostensibly, follows the brothers as they track the man down, but the actual plot is broken up into small short little vignettes of the brothers as they get into wacky hijinks along the way.

The problem with this is that none of the stuff that happens throughout the book really has any bearing on the end or how they get there. Some of it is amusing in a way, but a lot just left me feeling a little impatient to get on with things. I was never really drawn into the Sisters brothers' quest to kill this man that needed killing, and the characters themselves, despite feeling like there should have been some sort of growth or change, never really went anywhere. I actually read too much into the story from the beginning, and was disappointed to read that things were played straight without too much deviation or plot twists.

I read it. It was a book. I'm done now.

This was a really wonderful entry point into the western genre that had me feeling all sorts of feelings beginning to end. We follow two brothers, Charlie and Eli Sisters, two hired hands working for "The Commodore", as they hunt down a target they have been paid to kill. But leading up to that, they get into all sorts of antics, explore love, self image, and the complicated relationship between two adult brothers who have probably spent too much time together.

I'd say the pacing of this story is typical for the genre. We know where the narrative needs go, but the bulk of the book is made up of the interesting things they get up to along the way. I did find the end of the book to be a tad drawn out, but because I liked the characters so much, I didn't mind it. All of the characters were distinct and interesting, if not a tad one-note (with the exception of our main protagonist Eli who was charming and complex). I found the period specific dialogue to be very well executed; authentic yet accessible.

I've been wanting to dive into westerns for a while now, and I'm so glad I picked this up to start as it's really piqued my interest!

This book is like a comfortable pair of slippers, a good old western that moves along at a steady pace and doesn't disappoint. I always wonder why certain books get nominated for the big awards, but with the sisters brothers I can see why it was included.

Eli and Charlie are simple characters, not super clever but wily enough to stay alive in the wild west. Because Eli is narrating the story, everything has been written in short simple sentences, there are no long winded speeches full of philosophy to bore you, Eli just says it how it is. Eli and Charlie are brilliant characters and on their journey they meet quite a collection of odd people. The book has scenes of violence and scenes that are really moving.

Out of all the main-stream books I've read this year, this one is the best, looking forward to seeing what else Patrick deWitt will write.