The Sisters Brothers – a Coen-esque fraternalistic tale of Western proportions

Partrick deWitts Booker Prize nominated genre-bending novel is a darkly funny, offbeat western about a reluctant assassin and his murderous brother. Set against the backdrop of Oregon, 1851, Eli and Charlie Sisters are notorious gun toting killers on route to California to carry out the orders of the Commodore and kill a man named Hermann Kermit Warm. On their way, the brothers have a series of unsettling and violent experiences in the Darwinian landscape of Gold Rush America. Charlie makes money and kills anyone who stands in his way; Eli doubts his vocation and falls in love. They bicker a lot. Then they get to California, and discover that Warm is an inventor who has come up with a magical formula, which could make all of them very rich. What happens next is utterly gripping, strange, sad and circular. The Sisters Brothers is the type of western the Coen Brothers might write – stark, unsettling and with a keen eye for the perversity of human motivation with a narrative that follows the travails of the humane yet morally ambiguous protagonist in a hostile, lawless and unpredictable universe.

In a series of vignettes evocative of Alice in Wonderland, Eli and Charlie encounter one bizarre situation after another – a perpetually weeping man, a young girl intent on poisoning a dog, a a young boy looking for his father, a dentist and whores and hoodlums along the way. Narrated in a gritty vernacular in a 19th-century Western dialect, The Sisters Brothers was gritty, deadpan and often very comic. But did it meet its mark from cover to cover for the BBC?

Mark didn’t think so- the first five pages were enough to cause him to reach for grits elsewhere. Leanne loved the scenes of San Francisco, the rich and yet debauched framework of Goldrush days. Andy loved the language but ultimately the book left him dissatisfied- a few wrong notes transformed a concerto to a simple tune. Alena liked the presentation of the book- the layout of the book, the font size and the deadpan picture of the author at the tales conclusion. Kevin thought the book a turn pager and was surprised to find he liked a book with a western theme. And Dennis, who chose the book ,noted the consistent themes of flame and fire uncovering the subtlety of imagery used throughout on the second reading. We all agreed that this was a book of family, a fraternalistic tale about the struggles of life. And were “mostly satisfied” with the brotherly tale.

Scores:

Dennis- 7/1/2

Andy-8

Kevin-8/1/2

Leanne-8

Alena-8/1/2