Released: 26th April 2011
Genre: Western, Adventure, Historical
Number of Pages: 325
Patrick Dewitt’s The Sisters Brothers is a fairly typical Western tale that features a wide variety of events across its pages. Taking place at the height of the gold rush in the 1800s, it’s a mildly entertaining novel held back by its tonal inconsistencies.
In 1855, the brothers Eli and Charlie Sisters take on a job from a wealthy Commodore; to track down two gold prospectors and eliminate them. Taking place from Eli’s perspective, we follow the brothers on their mission as they journey across the American West, encountering an extended gallery of rogues and scoundrels on the way to their targets. The story proceeds like a typical western would, mostly relying on travel sequences to break up the pace juxtaposed against some light humour. In addition, a couple of intermissions pause the proceedings at key moments; the second half of the book is far better than the first; when Eli and Charlie find their quarry, things grow much deeper as the characters reconsider their own lives and the nature of their work. This latter half sticks out because earlier events are portrayed with a less serious tone and this causes a clash in the narrative.
With a single perspective, The Sisters Brothers still does a brilliant job of fleshing out its two main characters, however. Both Eli and Charlie feel very distinctive with the former being calmer and more methodical and the latter being free-wheeling and quick on the draw. Be that as it may, both men are skilled gunslingers and seasoned travellers adept at traversing the Wild West. While the story doesn’t always flow together, the confrontations the brothers have do get across their reputation as they eliminate threats quickly. The American West is well portrayed with a collection of varied locales all conveyed with some detailed descriptions; whether it’s the bustling town of San Francisco or the endless frontiers, Dewitt always works to draw you into the setting.
Recommended?
MAYBE: The Sisters Brothers offers a reasonable mix of comic relief placed against emotional moments, but I felt that the plot couldn’t string these together coherently. Much of the first two thirds of the book is a series of seemingly random encounters that have little to do with the brother’s mission. The final act is much better as Eli and Charlie reconsider their positions and reflect on their violent lives, generating a greater amount of pathos. The book creates some memorable characters but the story they inhabit isn’t quite as intriguing.
The book was adapted into a feature film starring John C Reilly, which came out last year with a strong list of actors and a disappointing box office performance. I may check out the film in the future but given its poor earnings, the production will be difficult to access following its theatrical release.
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