The Sisters Brothers - Patrick DeWitt

I have some mixed feelings about this book. They may partly be due to the fact that it was so long between first coming across this book and actually getting to read it - a buildup of hype in my mind that overwhelmed the novel itself.  Or it might just be one of those ones that doesn't completely ring the bell for you.

The cover drew me in.  It first caught my eye the week it came out, sitting on a table in the fiction section in the store where I was working.  Bright, bold, intriguing - I picked it up again and again, touching it, reading the jacket, showing it to people. But for whatever reason, I didn't read it.  Then it was nominated for and won a whole bunch of awards.  Then I left the bookstore and moved to Newmarket.  Then I saw it was on my booklist, that tattered thing, and looked it up in the local library catalog.  There was one copy and fourteen people in the waiting list.  I added myself to that list and somewhat forgot about it.

Until I went in a few days ago, and the librarian told me my hold was in. YES!! I read it the next day in almost one sitting but still haven't taken it back for the next person (feeling guilty about that as it's here by my elbow as I write this).

Part of my initial intrigue about this book was my love of westerns.  My boyfriend introduced me to the western when we started dating, and now movies like Young Guns and the original Butch Cassidy are big favorites.  I had never read a western novel, though I'd planned on reading True Grit one day.  So this was a first in that way - and I found the book interpretation of the genre as satisfying as the movie versions.

The Sisters Brothers really stands out.  It is full of startling things and interesting contrasts.  The narrator has a unique voice, an oddly formal one that contrasts with his own depiction of his life and profession.  He is complex, compelling and rich.  His thoughts and narrative are peppered with startling bits of philosophy, poetry and love.  At the same time, his actions are unpredictable and there's no way to map them.  I was so engrossed with being in his head while he told the story.  

The book itself is unpredictable; characters appear fully formed for only a few minutes, their stories remarkable and their role intact.  Each page might bring sudden graphic violence or surprising affection.  The plot is meandering, taking its time, twisting like a river, bumping up over the rocks beneath the surface.  I loved the setting; the brothers are trekking through 1850s America.  They visit and somewhat take part in the beginning of the gold rush in California.  The settings are vividly drawn and the brothers move perfectly against them - this would make a great movie.

I said I had mixed feelings because when I finished the book I felt a little bit like nothing had actually happened.  Of course things happen, but as I say, the book kind of moves along at it's own pace, dropping startling moments/characters/events throughout and keeping you reading.  Siblings appear in various ways throughout the book and form a strong theme that is really at the heart of what gives the book such substance and has certainly earned it all those awards.  I think it's ability to startle the reader is a big factor in it's uniqueness. You can be completely unprepared for whatever happens next - whether it's making you just laugh (it can be very, very funny) or cringe at the sudden outburst of violence.

I think it just wasn't what I expected.  At the same time, I really, really enjoyed it.  I can definitely appreciate a book that surprises me and can keep doing it.  I also like the all-encompassing kind of story it is - a journey, dysfunctional family, secrets, greed, violence, love.....settings so vivid you can almost feel the dust coating your throat....