Book Club: The Sisters Brothers & The French Exit

Last month our book club chose to read The French Exit by Patric DeWitt; they had previously read (before I was a part of the group) another of his novels called The Sisters Brothers and found his writing to be interesting.

I put both books on hold at the library and The Sisters Brothers came up first. You could probably categorize it as a Western novel; there's a journey west on horse back, and a lot of guns.  I honestly haven't read many westerns and I did find myself enjoying it -- once I got past the killing.

The Sisters Brothers are two brothers with the surname Sisters (I know, it took me a while to figure that out), who are hired as hitmen. Their next job takes them to San Francisco and along the way they find several people they deem unworthy of life.  It seems killing is just what they do to resolve any sort of conflict. One of the brothers is bothered by this and throughout the story weighs the pros and cons of getting out of the business and dreaming of what life could be like instead. His brother doesn't want out.

I wasn't sure about the book at first. It took a chapter or two to understand what was going on . . . and who the Sisters Brothers were. But after that I was hooked and it was a fast read -- and interesting! So, if you're looking for a Western that is a little different, you can check it out too!

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The French Exit is also by Patric DeWitt but is completely different from The Brothers Sisters. Not a Western. I actually don't know how to describe it. It read like a sitcom. You watch these characters (a 65 year old widow and her 30-something son) do some really absurd things and it just sort of unfolds before your eyes and you can't really understand the purpose of what they do. It's an odd story. Can I leave it at that? 

No? Okay. Francis and her son head to Paris because they are bankrupt. She has this idea of getting rid of all the cash she has left and then ending her life. It's a bizarre story, but within this one plot the author unveils much of their pasts too. Which is what makes it interesting. Nothing really "happens" until the very end but we get to see who people are and how they became that way.

It's a unique novel.

Last month our book club chose to read The French Exit by Patric DeWitt; they had previously read (before I was a part of the group) another of his novels called The Sisters Brothers and found his writing to be interesting.

I put both books on hold at the library and The Sisters Brothers came up first. You could probably categorize it as a Western novel; there's a journey west on horse back, and a lot of guns.  I honestly haven't read many westerns and I did find myself enjoying it -- once I got past the killing.

The Sisters Brothers are two brothers with the surname Sisters (I know, it took me a while to figure that out), who are hired as hitmen. Their next job takes them to San Francisco and along the way they find several people they deem unworthy of life.  It seems killing is just what they do to resolve any sort of conflict. One of the brothers is bothered by this and throughout the story weighs the pros and cons of getting out of the business and dreaming of what life could be like instead. His brother doesn't want out.

I wasn't sure about the book at first. It took a chapter or two to understand what was going on . . . and who the Sisters Brothers were. But after that I was hooked and it was a fast read -- and interesting! So, if you're looking for a Western that is a little different, you can check it out too!

_____

The French Exit is also by Patric DeWitt but is completely different from The Brothers Sisters. Not a Western. I actually don't know how to describe it. It read like a sitcom. You watch these characters (a 65 year old widow and her 30-something son) do some really absurd things and it just sort of unfolds before your eyes and you can't really understand the purpose of what they do. It's an odd story. Can I leave it at that? 

No? Okay. Francis and her son head to Paris because they are bankrupt. She has this idea of getting rid of all the cash she has left and then ending her life. It's a bizarre story, but within this one plot the author unveils much of their pasts too. Which is what makes it interesting. Nothing really "happens" until the very end but we get to see who people are and how they became that way.

It's a unique novel.

The Condo: Two Weeks In

We have been in our new home for two weeks. There are still a dozen boxes to unpack and a growing pile of things to get rid of. We still need a few things like a dining table, chairs, living room furniture a small desk and some organizing totes. Another shower curtain and a bathroom rug would be nice too. Maybe some alternative shelving. The boys will be getting a bunk bed soon. All I'm saying is that we are still figuring things out. BUT . . .

It is starting to feel like home anyway! We are finding our groove in our new space and learning our new routines. I am surprisingly happy (as apposed to the anxiety I felt before the move or the nervousness I thought I'd feel about being in a different part of the city, meeting new people, etc.) and at peace. Even in the not-nearly-furnished home, I am content and finding new rest.

Our new place is on a much quieter street and we're on the third floor so even the sirens we hear aren't as intrusive. Chris and I have our own room (can I get a "Thank you, Jesus!") and bathroom. I think overall we are sleeping much better than we have in the past five years . . . remember when we slept on the floor in the living room before we moved our bed out there? Remember when our living room became the master bedroom complete with infant bassinet (with infant) and changing table surrounded in blackout curtains? (William's bedroom had three dressers, a twin bed and his toys.) Oh, the transformations our living room had seen in the past 8 years!

Our new kitchen looks smaller than our previous one but I think it does have more counter space.  It is much nicer with newer appliances, granite countertops and even a sharp looking backsplash. When I keep it clean, I find a lot of joy being in it. The dishwasher is an efficiency size (like half the size of a normal one) which is odd and fills up way to quickly!

Another perk of our new home is that we have a washer and dryer in our condo! No more quarters or shared laundry . . . but if it breaks, we have to fix it!

As I said before we are still trying to figure out the living room and dining area (which is one open room) but it has a lot of potential and I hope I don't screw it up. We have a nice bay window and  wood (laminate) floors which we need to cover with rugs. More photos will come soon.

I am so grateful for our new home. Still find myself a little surprised that this one actually worked out. I feel like I was expecting it not to happen right up until moving day . . . and then "Ta-da" here's your new home. I don't think it feels like that to Chris who did ALL the paperwork and inspections and organized all the details.

After 4 years of searching it's great to finally be here.

We have been in our new home for two weeks. There are still a dozen boxes to unpack and a growing pile of things to get rid of. We still need a few things like a dining table, chairs, living room furniture a small desk and some organizing totes. Another shower curtain and a bathroom rug would be nice too. Maybe some alternative shelving. The boys will be getting a bunk bed soon. All I'm saying is that we are still figuring things out. BUT . . .

It is starting to feel like home anyway! We are finding our groove in our new space and learning our new routines. I am surprisingly happy (as apposed to the anxiety I felt before the move or the nervousness I thought I'd feel about being in a different part of the city, meeting new people, etc.) and at peace. Even in the not-nearly-furnished home, I am content and finding new rest.

Our new place is on a much quieter street and we're on the third floor so even the sirens we hear aren't as intrusive. Chris and I have our own room (can I get a "Thank you, Jesus!") and bathroom. I think overall we are sleeping much better than we have in the past five years . . . remember when we slept on the floor in the living room before we moved our bed out there? Remember when our living room became the master bedroom complete with infant bassinet (with infant) and changing table surrounded in blackout curtains? (William's bedroom had three dressers, a twin bed and his toys.) Oh, the transformations our living room had seen in the past 8 years!

Our new kitchen looks smaller than our previous one but I think it does have more counter space.  It is much nicer with newer appliances, granite countertops and even a sharp looking backsplash. When I keep it clean, I find a lot of joy being in it. The dishwasher is an efficiency size (like half the size of a normal one) which is odd and fills up way to quickly!

Another perk of our new home is that we have a washer and dryer in our condo! No more quarters or shared laundry . . . but if it breaks, we have to fix it!

As I said before we are still trying to figure out the living room and dining area (which is one open room) but it has a lot of potential and I hope I don't screw it up. We have a nice bay window and  wood (laminate) floors which we need to cover with rugs. More photos will come soon.

I am so grateful for our new home. Still find myself a little surprised that this one actually worked out. I feel like I was expecting it not to happen right up until moving day . . . and then "Ta-da" here's your new home. I don't think it feels like that to Chris who did ALL the paperwork and inspections and organized all the details.

After 4 years of searching it's great to finally be here.