Review of The Bad Angel Brothers by Paul Theroux

I've heard it said that there are only two kinds of fathers: those who build quality relationships with their sons, and the opposite, fathers and sons who end up at a distance from one another. I've observed the same of brothers: they seem to either compete their entire lives or are best friends, little middle ground. Looking at the latter in often humane, sometimes sensational fashion is Paul Theroux's The Bad Angel Brothers (2022).

The Bad Angel Brothers is the slopping-waves-on-the-ocean story of Frank and Cal Bellanger. Born into a small Massachusetts town, Cal eventually heads off into the wide world to make his fortune as a miner and geology expert, whereas Frank stays close to home building a successful law office that has fingers in pies all over town. At odds since birth, the pair subtly antagonize one another in ever subtler ways as they grow older, leading to an event that changes both their lives forever.

The Bad Angel Brothers is a one-sided character study of the two brothers; the narrative is told entirely through the perspective of Cal. An exploratory, self-sufficient, responsible man, he finds his way in the world through some of the most difficult terrains and situations, amassing a small fortune in the process. The reader learns of Frank's personality and the history between the brothers through Cal's narration. Frank is an attention-seeking person who likes to offer help and aid in order to get into people's good graces. Seeing their brotherhood as competition, he pushes direct and indirect buttons in Cal's life, attempting to control him. The Bad Angel Brothers is thus something of a modern version of Hesse's Narcissus and Goldmund but through the perspective of Narcissus.

For readers who enjoy infotaintment, The Bad Angel Brothers has a fair amount of mining and mineral extraction involved. Theroux never, however, beats the reader over the head with: Hey, look what I learned about geology while researching this novel, as some writers do. Everything integrated with scene and dialogue, there are no spurious diversions to educate the reader on different cuts of diamonds or inclusion of mineral jargon only industry professionals will be familiar with. The reader will walk away slightly enlightened but not overwhelmed.

But there is room for criticism in other areas. One item is certainly Cal's character, particularly the disparity of character vs actions. There is dissonance, to put it bluntly. One example is that Cal's empathy contrasts certain events that pan out. Another is that Cal's can-do attitude disappears when he is faced with a difficult life situation—an extended situation with ample space for remedy and activity. All in all, the final fifth of the novel feels more contrived than natural due to Cal's disparity, which is not a positive way to end the novel. That is a major criticism.

A minor criticism would be the overarching narrative. From the beginning, things are 'too good to be true', and as a result the reader is simply waiting for Theroux to pull the rug out from under the reader's feet—to transform the good brother into the bad, and vice versa. And voila, it happens. I can't help but feel had Theroux used non-linear plotting this may have been avoided. But again, minor criticism. The setup does not give away how the transition occurs.

I probably should have put this caveat at the beginning, but better late than never: I am a sucker for Theroux's character studies. Each remains etched in my mind. Cal and Frank now occupy my headspace, also. That being said, unlike previous such studies The Bad Angel Brothers ultimately feels more of an author construction than human vignette. Theroux can be seen pulling strings toward the end, resulting in an exciting but mismatched climax. Which brings up the final point: regardless Theroux's execution, the book remains highly readable from the first to last page.