Hired guns of the old West

The Sisters Brothers by Patrick DeWitt

My first book of the fall Read-a-Thon, and it was a doozy.

Ann of Books on the Nightstand positively raved about this book, which is what helped me get past a couple of things that otherwise would’ve prevented me from reading it: This is historical fiction, and it’s got a horrible cover.

Yes, I know I’m doing that Historical Fiction reading challenge, but that’s only because I’m in a genre study these days, so I’m reading the stuff by prescription already. Otherwise, I don’t really favor it.

Then a book like this comes along, and I have to wonder if a re-think is in order.

The Sisters brothers are hired killers, and these dudes kill people the way the rest of us swat mosquitoes: without mercy and without remorse.

…Until Eli, who narrates the story, starts to think he’s ready to be All Done with killing. He’s kinda thinking he’d like to open a trading post. 

Well, his brother Charlie doesn’t plan to quit his day job anytime soon, but he’s OK with Eli taking off as soon as they finish their current job. And of course, the current job’s a nightmare and a half.

Plenty of things about this book put me in mind of True Grit, and that’s high praise. It's a Western that's got all kinds of good stuff going on. The only thing that’s missing is the tough girl character; this book’s mainly grown-up boys.

And they are boys. Here’s evidence:

“‘What’s that? You’re not smiling, are you? We’re in a quarrel and you mustn’t under any circumstances smile.’ I was not smiling, but then began to, slightly. ‘No,’ said Charlie, ‘you mustn’t smile when quarreling. It’s wrong, and I dare say you know it’s wrong. You must stew and hate and revisit all the slights I offered you in childhood.’” (p. 46)

Guys, that’s funny. The tone of the whole book is like that, which, combined with the endless string of killings, is what makes it possible/desirable to read this book all in one big gulp.