The Sisters Brothers, Patrick deWitt

I was sitting outside the Commodore's mansion, waiting for my brother Charlie to come out with news of the job. It was threatening to snow and I was cold and for want of something to do I studied Charlie's new horse, Nimble. My new horse was called Tub. We did not believe in naming horses but they were given to us as partial payment for the last job with the names intact, so that was that. 

The Sisters Brothers is the story of Eli and Charlie Sisters, two men who work for the mysterious "Commodore", getting rid of his enemies. Eli doesn't like killing and whiskey as much as his brother, but that's his life. In this book, on the way to Sacramento to kill their next mark, he begins to question what he does for a living and how he wants to live. This one has been called humorous, but I didn't see the humor in it. It wasn't that funny. But it was good. The Sisters Brothers portrays the 1850s West very well. It's harsh time, and on the West Coast there's the Gold Rush. Eli Sisters is a complex narrator. He's a tough guy and a killer like his brother, but he wants to be so much more. The writing draws you into the story too. Eli and Charlie have an extremely complicated relationship. Sure, they love each other as brothers, but they're so different as people. Eli's narration helps you begin to understand this.

This was a good Western, with a nice plot twist when the Sisters brothers finally get to Sacramento. All of the characters are very memorable, like Tub, Eli's horse, and the different women that they encounter. I would recommend it to anyone who's fond of Westerns.

Read The Sisters Brothers:

• if you like Westerns
• if you are interested in Gold Rush California
• if you like historical fiction

325 pages.

Very Good! I would recommend this book!