The Sisters Brothers: A Novel
Written by Patrick deWitt
Narrated by John Pruden
Editor's Note
Wonderfully weird…
The book is as wonderfully weird, subtly funny, and smartly written as its title. A quirky, stylized genre-bending Western filled with dark humor and a bit of gore, it channels old-timey pulp and Cormac McCarthy alike. John C. Reilly, Joaquin Phoenix, and Jake Gyllenhaal star in the movie adaptation.
Description
Hermann Kermit Warm is going to die. The enigmatic and powerful man known only as the Commodore has ordered it, and his henchmen, Eli and Charlie Sisters, will make sure of it. Though Eli doesn't share his brother's appetite for whiskey and killing, he's never known anything else. But their prey isn't an easy mark, and on the road from Oregon City to Warm's gold-mining claim outside Sacramento, Eli begins to question what he does for a living-and whom he does it for.
With The Sisters Brothers, Patrick deWitt pays homage to the classic Western, transforming it into an unforgettable comic tour de force. Filled with a remarkable cast of characters-losers, cheaters, and ne'er-do-wells from all stripes of life-and told by a complex and compelling narrator, it is a violent, lustful odyssey through the underworld of the 1850s frontier that beautifully captures the humor, melancholy, and grit of the Old West and two brothers bound by blood, violence, and love.
About the author
Patrick deWitt is the author of the critically acclaimed Ablutions: Notes for a Novel, as well as the novels Undermajordomo Minor and The Sisters Brothers, which was short-listed for the Man Booker Prize. Born in British Columbia, Canada, he has also lived in California and Washington, and now resides in Portland, Oregon.
Reviews
What people think about The Sisters Brothers
4.0Reader reviews
- (4/5)“The creak of bed springs suffering under the weight of a restless man is as lonely a sound as I know.”The Sisters Brothers are after a man called Hermann Warm. “He has done something incorrect and we have been hired to bring him to justice.” But these brothers aren’t the law... Their story is a well written page turner, and so much better than the movie! Their journey is one filled with violence, loss, and self discovery, all set in the "wild" west of 1851. Charlie and Eli are, at the same time, both imminently likable, and completely despicable. As for me, I liked them!The epilogue is very satisfying, and wistful. And, to quote the very last line: "And might I say what a pleasing conclusion this was for me."Me too!p.s. - I don't know why, but I LOVE the book cover! Obsessively so!
- (2/5)Brother assassins lackadaisically wander from Oregon to California for a hit in this horseback road trip. The characters they meet aren't nearly colorful enough, females get extremely short shrift, and the end result is pretty pointless. The sad sack narrator sort of grew on me, however, as I imagined how John C. Reilly probably plays him in the movie. I'm hoping it's one of those adaptations that is better than the book.
- (4/5)A fun story, written with pervasive deadpan humor. The narrator's self-questioning, and constant conflicts between his values and actions, raise questions for all of us. The Western A, B, C, D, … plotting is not my usual cup of tea, but deWitt makes it enjoyable.
- (5/5)I'm a big fan of cowboy stories, so this book was a sure hit. The mix of back humour, philosophy and adventure is perfectly balanced, creating complex and unpredictable characters. The colourful and precise language helps to absorb, and even laugh at, some pretty unsavoury scenes, and the unexpected ending brings a salvation to what otherwise would be a grim novel. I loved the complexity of the characters, Eli especially, as an hot-headed but reflective man. An all around entertaining and powerful novel which will definitely make its mark.
- (4/5)The notorious hired killers, the Sisters brothers, set out on one last job to track down and kill a gold miner and inventor at the height of the California Gold Rush.I enjoyed this book quite a lot. The narrator, Eli Sisters, has a distinctive voice, and the dialogue between him and his brother is really snappy, almost cinematic. Their adventures getting from the Oregon territory to California and book are infused with a lot of dark humor. I wouldn't say there was much substance to this story, but it sure was entertaining.Read in 2015.
- (5/5)Set in the Wild West in 1851, The Sisters Brothers tells the story of Charlie and Eli Sisters, brothers and assassins who work for the powerful Commodore. We meet them as they are setting off to find Hermann Kermit Warm, who is panning for gold in California and owes the Commodore money, and we get to go along for the ride. I loved this book. The story is engaging. On the way to find Warm, Charlie and Eli meet up with a number of other interesting characters. deWitt's observations about the Wild West are wry and sometimes darkly humorous. But I was most impressed with his characterization of Eli. Eli is not your typical assassin. He is multi-layered and conflicted. He has a tender relationship with his horse, Tub (who is not the ideal mount for the situation). And although they are very different people, he has a tender relationship with his brother Charlie as well (although I'd hate to lay money on whether he likes Tub or Charlie better). This is not your typical Western. I'd recommend it for anyone who loves a good story and who likes a main character that lives and breathes.