The Librarianist by Patrick deWitt

 

First Line: The morning of the day Bob Comet first came to the Gambell-Reed Senior Center, he awoke in his mint-colored house in Portland, Oregon, in a state of disappointment at the fact of a dream interrupted.

 

When retired librarian Bob Comet returns a confused elderly woman to her home in a senior center, he finds his solitary life surrounded by books becoming larger. Having decided to volunteer at the senior center, Bob becomes involved in the life of the residents in all their eccentric glory, and the more he becomes involved, the more his past and the details of his character are revealed.

 

~

 

I can see where some readers may become bored with retired librarian Bob Comet's tiny little life on the sidelines in The Librarianist, but I enjoyed it. Perhaps it's because I saw some of myself in this character as his life unfolded.

 

From the four days he ran away from home as a child to his true love being stolen to a painful revelation, Bob's character slowly opens like a flower in the spring sun. It is a rather melancholy existence to be sure, but there's also humor and an appreciation of life. At one point, Bob is asked, "Why do you read rather than live?" As The Librarianist moves to its conclusion, Bob proves that you can do both-- read and live.  

The Librarianist by Patrick deWitt

ISBN: 9780063085121

Ecco © 2023

Hardcover, 342 pages

 

Contemporary Fiction, Standalone

Rating: B

Source: Purchased from The Poisoned Pen.

The Sisters Brothers by Patrick DeWitt

Title: The Sisters Brothers
Author: Patrick DeWitt
ISBN: 9780062041265
Publisher: Ecco, 2011
Hardcover, 336 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction, Western
Rating: A+
Source: Publisher

First Line: I was sitting outside the Commodore's mansion, waiting for my brother Charlie to come out with news of the job.

The year is 1851. The California Gold Rush is at a fever pitch, and the Commodore has his little corner of the universe in Oregon City, Oregon nailed down tight-- due in part to the efforts of his two hired guns, brothers Eli and Charlie Sisters.

The Commodore sent another of his employees down to San Francisco to keep an eye on someone who severely displeased him. Now it is up to Eli and Charlie to go down there and kill the man.

They pack a few provisions, saddle up their horses, and set out... only nothing on this trip seems to go smoothly. Every time Charlie gets near a saloon, he has to get drunk, and they're losing time because of his hangovers. Eli has nothing but trouble with his horse, and every single person they meet along the way seems to be more than a bit strange.

This picaresque novel is a pure delight. The tale is told by younger brother Eli, and as the pages turn, it's easy to begin to wonder how on earth he could be one of the infamous Sisters Brothers-- killers that most people cross the street to avoid. Eli is so honest and forthcoming about himself and what happens along the way that when I did find out that he, indeed, did come by his reputation honestly, I was in a bit of a shock.

It is easy to fall into a line of work and be good at it whether you like it or not, but Eli's had enough. He wants to turn over a new leaf, take the money he's saved up, set up shop, and become a storekeeper. Even though his brother Charlie thinks that idea is hilarious, I was rooting for Eli every step of the way.

DeWitt makes every paragraph of his tale look as easy as falling off the proverbial log. Every character comes to vivid life (even Eli's horse) and the action flows as smooth as can be. By book's end I honestly felt as though I'd experienced life during the Gold Rush in all its grimy, scary, funny, thought-provoking glory.

My only complaint is that I finished the book far too quickly, and I'm left feeling like Oliver Twist. Please, sir-- may I have some more?

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