Undermajordomo Minor

My family all read Patrick DeWitt's Undermajordomo Minor around the same time as they read The Sisters Brothers.  I remember them having a lot of debate about which of the two books was better (although they all agreed that both were good).  I was a little late to the party (with both books, though considerably later with Undermajordomo Minor), but at least I did eventually make it!

Undermajordomo Minor is the story of Lucien "Lucy" Minor, who is hired to work under Mr. Olderglough, the majordomo of Castle Von Aux.  The castle has fallen on hard times since the Baroness left, down to a staff of three (Lucy, Mr. Olderglough, and Agnes, the one-time chambermaid, now cook) serving the elusive and heartsick Baron.  

Lucy begins to make a life for himself, making friends in the nearby village and falling in love with Klara, though he must compete for her hand against the handsome soldier, Aldolphus.  But that life in the castle is also shrouded in mystery: what exactly happened to his predecessor, Mr. Broom, and just what exactly is going on with the Baron?

I will admit, I had a hard time getting in to the story of Undermajordomo Minor.  I originally started reading it back in March, getting about ten pages in then stopping (I chalked it up to being super tired when I first attempted to read it).  Then a week or two ago, I reread the beginning and soldiered on through.  Though I still had a hard time with the beginning because I found I didn't like Lucy much at all.  His lies really bothered me (he was a compulsive liar and just generally didn't seem like the sort of person I'd like to hang out with).  Luckily things started picking up once he was on the train to Castle Von Aux (although there was a weird interlude about the train engineers) and met Memel and Mewe, who were quite the pair.  Oldenglough himself was very entertaining too (and right from the moment you meet him. His tour of the castle largely consisted of him pointing out rooms and saying things like "This is a room.  We don't use it.")

By the midpoint I was quite enjoying the book, but then things took a turn.  The Baroness returned, and brought guests who changed the whole tone of the castle.  Then Lucy attempts to kill Adolphus, and almost dies himself as he falls into the Very Large Hole.  He manages to escape, but everything is changes when he gets out: the Castle is drained because the Baroness left once again, taking Klara with her as a handmaid.  Adolphus died in his war, and Memel died of sickness.  Lucy goes to collect his stuff from the castle, bidding everyone goodbye, then leaves to chase after Klara.  And that's where the book leaves us.  A rather unsatisfying ending that doesn't really feel like an ending (though it is the end of Castle Von Aux and its inhabitants, who seem to be fading away).

While it's been years since I read The Sisters Brothers, I think I liked that book a lot more than Undermajordomo Minor.  Undermajordomo Minor was very intriguing, with a wonderful cast of characters.  But it just never really came together as an enjoyable whole for me, especially with the somewhat disappointing bookends of the beginning and ending.

The Sisters Brothers

I borrowed Patrick DeWitt's The Sisters Brothers from my brother a few months ago. My entire immediate family had read it, loved it, and kept wanting to talk about it so I knew I had to read it, too (at the very least to be in on the conversation). I started reading it last week, when I was specifically looking for an easy to read book (which The Sisters Brothers definitely is - most of the chapters are super short, making it easy to pick up and put down). I didn't get very far with it last week, but ended up reading about half of it last night when my internet wasn't working. So rather than do the stuff I was originally going to do tonight, I decided to finish The Sisters Brothers instead.

The Sisters Brothers is about Charlie and Eli Sisters, a notorious killing duo of the old west. They're hired by the Commodore to kill a man who purportedly stole something from him. The brothers have to track the culprit down in gold-rush San Francisco. But of course things aren't what they seem.

The brothers are an interesting pair. The book is narrated from Eli's perspective. Eli is a good-natured and rather sweet husky man who has a bit of a temper. He loves his brother dearly and will do anything to protect him. Charlie is a drunkard who likes killing and violence; it's his fault the two are notorious gunmen working for the Commodore. They use their last name sparingly through the book, but when they do it commands immediate respect; everyone knows who they are.

The Sisters Brothers is a fun romp through the American frontier. But it's also an interesting look at making the life you want for yourself, dealing with unfavourable life circumstances, and of course the powerful bond between siblings. As I already mentioned, it's a fast and easy read. But it's also full of beautiful and vivid descriptions. I really liked DeWitt's writing style; it's no wonder The Sisters Brothers won the Governor General's Literary Award (as well as other prizes and awards).