The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt

How hard is The Sisters Brothers to read?

The Sisters Brothers scores 50 out of 100 for difficulty on ReadingRate, making it moderately challenging. The score is a weighted composite of nine measures: four of how hard the prose is to parse, five of how hard the meaning is to extract.

Vocabulary: 55 out of 100

Based on general knowledge, 'The Sisters Brothers' features a distinctive and often darkly humorous vocabulary, incorporating period-appropriate Western vernacular. While precise and characterful, it avoids extensive archaic terms or specialized jargon, making it more accessible than 'Moby-Dick' but more nuanced than 'Beach Read.'

Sentence structure: 50 out of 100

The novel's prose is generally clear and direct, maintaining a steady narrative flow without relying on overly long sentences or complex, nested clauses. Its syntax is more sophisticated than '1984' but lacks the extreme hypotaxis and experimental structures found in works like 'Ulysses' or 'The Golden Bowl.'

Abstraction: 50 out of 100

As a Western narrative, 'The Sisters Brothers' is primarily grounded in concrete events, character actions, and a tangible setting. While it explores themes of morality, brotherhood, and violence, these are conveyed through the story itself rather than overt philosophical digressions or abstract symbolism, placing it closer to 'The Great Gatsby' than 'Waiting for Godot.'

Information density: 50 out of 100

The narrative maintains a focused pace, delivering its story and character development without overwhelming the reader with multiple intricate subplots, dense historical detail, or encyclopedic references. It demands attention for its unique voice and dark humor, but not due to an exceptionally high volume of concepts per page like 'Ulysses' or 'War and Peace.'

Narrative indirection: 58 out of 100

The novel is narrated by Eli Sisters, whose observant yet somewhat naive perspective requires readers to infer deeper meanings from his understated reactions to brutal events. While the plot unfolds linearly, much of the brothers' internal lives and the moral landscape are conveyed through subtle implication rather than direct exposition, placing it above direct narratives like '1984' but below works with actively unreliable narrators like 'Lolita'.

Symbolic density: 35 out of 100

The Sisters Brothers is not heavily reliant on pervasive symbolism or allegory; its strength lies in character and plot. While themes like the pursuit of wealth (gold) and the journey itself carry some inherent meaning, they do not function as complex symbolic systems akin to 'Moby-Dick' or 'The Great Gatsby'. The narrative prioritizes literal events and character interactions over abstract symbolic representation.

Ironic distance: 72 out of 100

Patrick deWitt employs significant ironic distance, primarily through Eli Sisters' deadpan, often detached narration of violent and absurd circumstances. The contrast between the horrific events and Eli's pragmatic, sometimes almost innocent observations creates a pervasive dark humor and a critical commentary on the American West. This sustained ironic tone demands readers constantly recalibrate their understanding against the narrator's perspective, similar to 'Lolita' but with less malicious intent.

Resolution withholding: 55 out of 100

The novel provides a clear narrative arc and a definitive resolution to the brothers' primary mission and their personal journey, offering a sense of closure. However, it refrains from tying up every thematic loose end or providing a neat moral conclusion to their violent past, leaving some ambiguity about their future and the lasting impact of their experiences. This offers more resolution than 'The Crying of Lot 49' but less definitive closure than a typical genre novel.

Structural complexity: 30 out of 100

The narrative structure of The Sisters Brothers is largely linear, following the chronological journey of the two brothers. It maintains a consistent first-person point of view through Eli Sisters, without significant shifts in perspective, complex timelines, or experimental formal elements. This straightforward presentation makes the narrative accessible, contrasting sharply with highly complex works like 'Ulysses' or 'Flights'.

How The Sisters Brothers is regarded

The Sisters Brothers holds a literary regard score of 39 out of 100, weighing its place in the canon, its critical reception, its influence on other writers, and the standing of its author. Regard is measured separately from difficulty: a demanding book is not necessarily an admired one.

About the author

Patrick deWitt