I love Paul Theroux's nonfiction travel books but The Bad Angel Brothers is the first novel of his I have read. Not surprisingly, there is plenty of world travel to be enjoyed here but mainly we have a capital D for dysfunctional family drama set in a small town. It is the story of two brothers locked in a sibling rivalry gone terribly wrong. Cal, the younger brother is the sole narrator. According to Cal, his brother Frank is a despicable blight on the world, a manipulative sociopath and compulsive liar who has everyone fooled except Cal. Frank is the worst of the legal profession, a bottom dwelling, ambulance chasing personal injury attorney and he has spent his life making Cal miserable. But we have to wonder, is Cal a reliable narrator? We only know his side of the story. Why does he keep falling for Frank's schemes? Is Cal really so pure, so innocent, so naive? And what will it take for Cal to finally stand up to Frank?

As always, I thoroughly enjoyed Paul Theroux's writing and I look forward to reading more of his fiction. I deducted one star as I felt the story could have benefited from a bit of paring in the first two thirds of the story.

I received a drc from the publisher via Netgalley.
Publication is slated for 9/6/22.

The Belanger brothers, nicknamed "Bad Angel Brothers," are Cal and Frank - two very different men who exist at polar opposites.. We learn much of their backstory as children in a small Massachusetts town via Cal, who seems to perpetually be the underdog.
We all know, however, not to discount the underdog! In true Theroux fashion, we travel the world with Cal as he searches for metals and gems. The descriptions are vibrant and remind me of the first Theroux book I read and the start of my own wanderlust.

This book is a bit different, and is more of a character study or slow burn psychological novel. If you like complicated and dysfunctional families, underdogs and revenge stories, or just want to travel the jungles and deserts of our world with a master storyteller, The Bad Angel Brothers is for you!
#Marinerbooks #TheBadAngelBrothers #PaulTheroux #NetGalley

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Bad Angel Brothers.

I've heard of the author before, also known as the uncle of the actor Justin Theroux, but this is the first book I've ever read by him.

The writing is great, there's no doubt, but this is not a thriller or suspenseful.

It's about two brothers; the oldest is manipulative and charming, the younger brother (the narrative is told from his POV) is a studious, naive man who is faced with a terrible decision after his brother creates havoc in his life.

There is a lot to learn in The Bad Angel Brothers including geology, mining, the exploitation of child slave labor; it was heavy and deep, and not something I'm a fan of when I read fiction.

I read to escape, for fun, and yes, to learn, but not about rocks. I'm not into rocks. Or mining.

Hardcore fans of the author's might enjoy this, but this wasn't for me.

I might give the author's earlier books a try since I enjoy his writing style.

Beginning with The Great Railway Bazaar over 45 years ago, I've been reading the works of Paul Theroux. Equally proficient in fiction and non-, he is a master of experience. And now, at 81 years old, he has not gotten lazy nor has he lost his immense sense of curiosity. The Bad Angel Brothers begins as a small town character study, at times I felt it could have been written by either Richard, Ford or Russo, masters of that form. But the narrator is Cal, and I wonder if that is not by chance an homage to Steinbeck. Told entirely from Cal's point of view, it tells of his brother Frank's manipulation of his life from early days, and after gaining means of escaping Massachusetts via life as a geologist, presents himself as almost a saint compared to Frank's chicanery. But being a work by Theroux, there is a heart stopping account of a jungle trek between Zambia and the Congo, for the noblest of reasons, with all the dangers and organic detail we've come to expect from this immeasurably talented man. Kudos.

Frank is the bad boy that women can’t stay away from. No woman can deny him, not his mother and not his brother, Cal’s girlfriends. To escape Frank’s shadow and claim a life of his own, Cal leaves home for greener pastures, traveling from Africa to Alaska to Central America in search of whatever costly minerals and jewels the earth has to offer up. The money is nice, but Cal is most happy at being away from his brother’s toxic influence. But the more money Cal amasses, the more Frank wants to be involved in his brother’s life, finally committing the ultimate unforgivable act against Cal. Now, Cal feels he has no choice but to retaliate, leaving just one question – which brother is the baddest? Theroux writes with brutal authenticity in this story of brother against brother