Cal and Frank are brothers but very different. Always the leader and the "best loved" brother, Frank, remains in the town where they grew up, but Cal becomes a geologist and travels the world looking for gems and ore. However loved by his mother and many in the community, Frank is an absolute jerk. As an attorney, he leads people to believe he is helping them when in reality, he is becoming very rich. Cal meets Vita on an geological expedition and they marry and move to the home town - a charming New England town where Frank is so well known. Even after the birth of their son, Cal is gone most of the time. The author's writing is by far the best when the setting is some strange exotic land whether it be the deserts of Arizona or the Congo. Theroux is an excellent travel writer.

Things get really bad when Cal's wife divorces him with Frank's help; apparently Cal loses everything. It's this part of the book that seems a far stretch as how can someone who has seen the worst of everything in the world be so naive. The ending is somewhat of a surprise. Pretty good read for about 3/4 of the book. ( )

The Bad Angel Brothers by Paul Theroux is a highly recommended psychological drama.

Brothers Frank and Cal Belanger are complete opposites in this drama of sibling rivalry and betrayal. Cal's older brother Frank has always been the favorite child of his mother, which left Cal as his father's, who passed away young. As Frank went on to become a lawyer, Cal pursued his dream of prospecting for gold and other precious minerals around the world. Frank, who craved control and money above all else, took advantage of Cal, asking for loans and even appropriating Cal's stories and telling them as his own. Cal's dream was only to leave their New England small town and his greatest mistake was coming back and not severing all contact with Frank.

The novel opens with Cal returning from a mining venture only to find his wife distant and seemingly too friendly with Frank. Then the narrative jumps back in time to when the brothers were younger and, after college, when Cal took off to look for gold. While Cal is only interested in making enough to get by and finds real joy in the search, Frank is envious of his wealth, asks for loans, and seriously looks for ways to scam his brother. After an incident in the desert where Cal saves another man, he is welcomed into a family where he feels wanted for the first time. At this Cal should have cut ties with Frank and his mother and disappeared. But he didn't.

The plot goes on to cover Cal's prospecting and work in various locations, including the desert South West, Alaska, Colombian, and Zambia. Admittedly, this large portion of the novel will be engaging for those who enjoy geology and learning about different areas in the world. For some it will seem to be a bit too slow. But, as Cal is traveling for his work, he is also sharing more hints at the psychological campaign that Frank is waging. He is clearly scheming, manipulating, and planning some nefarious but legal downfall to afflict Cal.

The writing is excellent and the characters are finely drawn. Cal shares some of his own imperfections while also detailing those of Frank. There is a question that will arise continuously: why didn't Cal cut off all contact with Frank after college? If a sibling has shown they wish you ill, especially to this extent, why continue any relationship?

When you get close to the end of The Bad Angel Brothers, you will not be able to read and turn the pages fast enough while you are mentally telling Cal what to do. When he finally comes to the realization (that most readers will have reached much earlier) the novel is over. This is a novel that will stick with you, but also ends so abruptly that it will leave you wanting some closure.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of HarperCollins.

http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2022/09/the-bad-angel-brothers.html ( )

I won a copy of this advance reader edition in a HarperCollins Book Club Girl giveaway. The "Bad Angel Brothers" are Frank and Cal Belanger - how Belanger became "Bad Angel" as a local nickname is beyond me.  They grew up in the town of Littleford, Massachusetts.  Frank, the elder, stays and becomes a successful ambulance-chasing lawyer.  Cal is a geologist, and spends much of his early adult years looking for (and finding) gold, emeralds, cobalt, and other precious metals in Arizona, Alaska, Columbia, Zambia, and other remote places.

The book revolves around the relationship between Frank and Cal.  It is told entirely from Cal's viewpoint.  Frank is clearly manipulative, but I had to wonder after a while if Cal is an unreliable narrator.  If Frank is so awful, and from so early on, why does Cal continue to trust him?  If Frank was my sibling, I would have never gone back to Littleford to live (as Cal did).  Most (but not all) of the book's other characters seem to think Frank is wonderful.  And Cal's fantasies about Frank's demise are pretty gruesome.

For me, the best parts of this books were the descriptions of Cal's geology work and trips.  It's no surprise to learn that author Paul Theroux is best known as a travel writer.  While I wasn't too crazy about this book, I'd be interested in reading some of his nonfiction. ( )

The Bad Angel Brothers by Paul Theroux examines familial dynamics when brothers become each other's worst enemies.

While there were moments where I thought the story moved a little too slow, for the most part it was a nice steady pace which allowed tension to build. The reader will likely fluctuate between siding with Cal, the narrator, and wondering whether he is a reliable narrator. Either way, the things these men do to each other, from blatant hostility to passive aggressive acts, will keep you turning pages.

The one thing you can count on in a Theroux book is good writing, especially in creating vivid descriptions of scenes. In some ways I think it is this strength which makes some parts seem a tad slow. I would get into the scene description and then have to pull myself back to what was happening.

If you like psychological character studies that build to what eventually is an inevitable conclusion, you will love this.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. ( )