The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt
A gritty and clever look at life on the far edge of the United States where boundaries were suggestions and gold lured men to their deaths.
It occurred to me that I had crossed the threshold for a horse I did not want but Charlie had not done the same for his own flesh and blood. A life of ups and downs, I thought.
In 1851 a pair of mercenary brothers, Eli and Charlie, are sent hunting for a man through the wild PNW. Eli contemplates retirement from the rough life while Charlie commits heinous acts against those crossing their path. Gold fever is highly contagious. The natural world plays both setting and character.
Eli’s off-beat and dryly humorous observations give levity to the profane. It’s disorienting and captivating. Not infrequently he nestles a bit of wisdom between an elective crime and something as mundane as a toothache.
Dressing the horrible in comedic clothes deWitt allows for a close examination of humanity where “[m]ost people are chained to their own fear and stupidity and haven’t the sense to level a cold eye at just what is wrong with their lives.”
Geographical Link: Oregon & California | Publisher: Ecco/Harper Collins| Published: 2011
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