The Sisters Brothers

Patrick deWitt

May 2011 · Granta Books

About this ebook

Now a major film starring Jaoquin Phoenix, John C. Reilly, Jake Gyllenhal and Riz Ahmed.

Shortlisted for the 2011 Man Booker Prize, deWitt's dazzlingly original second novel is a darkly funny, offbeat western about a reluctant assassin and his murderous brother.

Hermann Kermit Warm is going to die. Across 1000 miles of Oregon desert his assassins, the notorious Eli and Charlies Sisters, ride - fighting, shooting, and drinking their way to Sacramento. But their prey isn't an easy mark, the road is long and bloody, and somewhere along the path Eli begins to question what he does for a living - and whom he does it for.
The Sisters Brothers pays homage to the classic Western, transforming it into an unforgettable ribald tour de force. Filled with a remarkable cast of losers, cheaters, and ne'er-do-wells from all stripes of life-and told by a complex and compelling narrator, it is a violent, lustful odyssey through the underworld of the 1850s frontier that beautifully captures the humor, melancholy, and grit of the Old West and two brothers bound by blood, violence, and love.

Ratings and reviews

Frightening book to read in the sense that is how man can kill others and not feel revulshion. Story though is captivating and easy to read, draws you in to the charecters, you almost like them and their desire to change their lifestyle. Funny in its way, a lesson in greed and wanting to get rich quick.. some interesting observations of human behaviour at its worst.

Very good read told from one character's viewpoint exploring the relationship between two brothers in the most violent of times. Carefully crafted narrative and fully rounded interesting characters make this a real page turner.

Dark comic adventures of two brothers who happen to be hit men in the wild west. I found the book really easy to read and finished it with eagerness. Its funny and is described brilliantly. Definitely could see this as a film and the narrative points this way. Its as if the author has first hand experience of living in the wild west. Maybe in a previous life? Recommended!

About the author

PATRICK DEWITT's first novel, Ablutions, was published by Granta Books in 2009. His second novel, The Sisters Brothers, won the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize, the Governor General Literary Award and was shortlisted for the 2011 Man Booker Prize. He lives in Portland, Oregon.