What We’re Reading: The Sisters Brothers

The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt (2011)

Suffice to say: this kooky, devilishly entertaining re-imagined Western novel made me feel an endearment for a murderous psychopath in a way I never thought possible. Charlie and Eli Sisters, gun-toting ruffians, are hired by their mysterious boss the Commodore to travel west to kill a man named Herman Kermit Warm. Eli, our narrator, is hesitant to go on the trip, and really would rather hang up his gunsling and find a more honorable profession. But his brother Charlie is the leader of their duo, and a violent, headstrong drunk one at that, and he presses on, Eli in tow.

The more we, the reader, travel with Charlie and Eli, the more we fall for them, and their storied, sad past that brought them to their current position. Eli, especially, sweeps your heart away with his almost innocent meandering thoughts (although in the next second, you’re reminded of his past when his temper violently flares up). Charlie is a pitiful character, drunkenly stumbling about in his well-meaning attempts to finish the job. We’re brought into their inner-most thoughts and exchanges between each other, revealing a softer, fragile side to both men. Eli, especially, is a fully formed character, brought into 3-dimensional being both with his honest introspection as much as his fiery chatter with his brother. He is the pulse of the novel, keeping us tied emotionally to the story, while Charlie provides more of the pure entertainment factor.

Yet deWitt doesn’t let us wallow in pity for these two for too long; rather, he gets us chuckling in no time with his off-beat humor and expert pacing. The author plows right into sticky situations and isn’t afraid to get gory. His sparse language and short chapters paired with smart word choice and dialogue keeps the novel moving right along. deWitt lets us in long enough to see the compassion of Eli, and then brings us forward with humor. For example, Eli starts to diet as he pines away after a women they meet at a hotel. When he finds out that Charlie had his way with the woman without telling Eli, he quickly and humorously gives up his diet:

‘Only say what?’

‘That I got for free what you paid five dollars for and still did not get.’

I started to speak but trailed off. I remembered meeting the woman on the stairs of the hotel. She had been in Charlie’s room, filling his bathrub, and she was upset. ‘What did you do to her?’

‘She laid it out for me. I wasn’t even thinking of it. Fifty cents for hand work, dollar for the mouth, fifty cents more for the whole thing. I took the whole thing.’

My head was thumping hard. I found myself reaching for a biscuit. ‘What was she so upset about?’

‘If you want the truth, I found the service lacking. My payment reflected this, or should I say my nonpayment, and she took offense. You have to know, I wouldn’t have touched the girl if I’d known how you felt. But I was sick, you’ll remember, and in need of comfort. I’m sorry, Eli, but at that time, far as I knew she was up for grabs.’

I ate the biscuit in two bites and reached for another. ‘Where’s the pork fat?’ The boy handed me the tin and I dipped the biscuit whole.

‘I let your five dollars slide,’ Charlie continued, ‘but I didn’t want to see you starve yourself for no reason.’ My blood was pulsing ebulliently in celebration of the arrival of the heavy food, while my heart was struck dumb from this news of the hotel woman’s character. I sat back down, chewing and thinking and brooding. ‘I could make some more pork,’ Charlie offered peaceably.

‘Make more of everything,’ I said.

Reading this novel, I was reminded of Quentin Tarantino films, with its swashbuckling dark humor and violence. The book is pure entertainment from cover to cover, and makes the reading fun and quirky for those who enjoy such things.

This is Patrick deWitt’s second novel (his first being Ablutions). Originally from British Columbia, he currently lives in Oregon with his wife and son. His bio makes sure to point out that he has worked as a laborer, a clerk, a dishwasher, and a bartender.

What books have hooked you with their quality of entertainment, yet still maintain a high standard of literary merit?