by Patrick DeWitt
This is another of the shortlisted titles for this year's Booker Prize. It is also on other award lists. After all this attention I expected the book would be good, interesting, unusual....
Sadly, it was none of the above, in my opinion. The book is set in the United States during the time of the California gold rush. Two brothers, The Sisters brothers, two hired guns, are engaged to go and kill a man called Warm, but to obtain a formula from him first.
The story is about the brother's travels to California as they leave a trail of dead bodies along their way, and about how they decide to drop their contract killing to work with warm on his idea of how to locate gold.
The two brothers are quite different, one is a cold hearted killer with no redeeming qualities, the other brother is kind (giving hotel workers and prostitutes large tipms) and sentimental. Things don't turn out as the brothers hoped and they head home.... to live with their mother (really..... what a ludicrous ending!).
If like to read unusual books, books that play with time and history but this book was a disappointment.
I look forward to much better things with the other Booker titles which I hope to read soon.
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