Patrick deWitt

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 show more 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. show less

Frances, a particularly savage woman, is an aging widowed socialite who is losing everything. When bankruptcy hits, she takes what cash she can get and escapes to Paris with her 32 year old man-child son Malcolm and Little Frank, a cat who is apparently inhabited by the sprit of her shitty, amoral dead husband. Along the way, and despite every effort to avoid normal human interaction, they attract an assortment of oddball cohorts.

I don't believe that Frances is meant to be likable but I show more kinda fell in love with her. She's brutal, smart, wholly unaffected, and doesn't suffer fools. Basically Frances hasn't a single fuck left to give.

The writing and dialogue are quick, witty, and acerbic. The novel brought to mind an Oscar Wilde play and that can only ever be a good thing. show less

Like a beautiful cross between Brautigan's Hawkline Monster and Williams' Butcher's Crossing, with all the humorous everyday person-to-person banter and observations of the former and all the deep and mournful meditations of the latter. Introduces itself to you as an interesting and enjoyable friend before gut punching you with its emotional honesty and dirge-like sensibilities. I honestly can't wait to read it again after waiting just long enough for it to feel fresh again. Immensely show more enjoyable and exactly what I needed. show less

Charlie and Eli Sisters, professional killers (not "gunfighters", mind you) are hired by a wealthy man simply referred to as "the Commodore" to kill a prospector named Hermann Warm. We don't know why the Commodore wants the man dead, although it becomes apparent that Charlie does know...and isn't sharing that information with his brother just yet. Eli narrates the tale of their journey from Oregon Territory to California, where the search for gold has made a lot of men lose their good sense. show more Given the set-up, this story is quite a hoot and surprisingly funny, filled with the sort of wry, almost philosophical humor that delights me. It's also full of realistic, sometimes graphic details of death, injury and stone-cold violence, but none of that occurs until the reader has gotten to know Eli and, to a lesser extent, Charlie, and seen the practical nature of their approach to life. Somehow, it is still possible to keep some emotional distance from the misery that afflicts nearly every character in the novel, not excluding the animals. Eli is not a fan of his work, and spends a lot of time imagining what life could be like if he could save enough money to give it up. Eli is so likeable, almost innocent in his appreciation of the new-fangled idea of brushing your teeth with a minty-tasting powder, and in his decision to lose a few pounds to impress a woman he fancies...we want him to realize his dream, killer or no. You know your own triggers...I won't try to convince anyone that the tone of this book will make it OK for you if you just don't want to ride along with two men intent on murder. It worked for me---I loved it. show less