Just Finished My First McCarthy Book (Update)

A couple of days ago, I made a post talking about my first experience with Cormac McCarthy’s work. The Road. ( https://www.reddit.com/r/cormacmccarthy/comments/15meqvf/reading_my_first_mccarthy_book/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=2&utm_term=1 ) the post if anyone is interested

Let me start off by saying how much I loved the book itself, the way McCarthy writes, like I said in the previous post, is akin to poetry at times. His descriptions are so vivid it places you in the scenes he creates with no escape, making you feel and go through everything the characters are feeling themselves. I loved the book and I can only see it growing on me over time.

This isn’t so much a gripe with the book but my god did I find it hard to go back to, near the end. The world is so bleak and depressing, filled with despair and agony. I found myself wanting to put it down but nevertheless I was glued to the story.

The ending, to me, feels like a slight shimmer of hope. That no matter how much evil is floating around that cursed world, there will still be some semblance of hope to cling to. The man with the shotgun appearing right at the end kinda threw me off at first, I thought it was too good to be true but when I thought back on it, the signs were there. The other little boy suddenly appearing and then vanishing. The dog barking they could hear in the distance then slowly it faded away to never be heard from again. The signs were there that they were being followed. From the mindset of The Man, Papa, you would only ever see this as a threat and from the mindset of the family you would see Papa as dangerous. Seeing him leave a man naked to die in the road would certainly make you think twice of approaching them.

I thought the ending was going to be much more bleak. The scene earlier in the book when Papa gives the boy his gun and is reminding him how to kill himself will stick with me for a while. That scene is haunting and heartbreaking to think about. I thought the story would probably end that way one way or another, with both of them dead. But I’m glad that wasn’t the case.

I did find some parts to be dense with descriptions and metaphors to the point where I didn’t have a clue what he was talking about but I just went along with it and got the hang of it the further I went.

I’m debating whether or not I should jump right into another McCarthy book. I really want to read more of his work but at the same time I don’t want to over do it and become burned out and frustrated with his writing style. The next book I’m going to be reading of his will be the border trilogy. I’m not really sure what it’s about other than cowboys but it’s always ranked highly. After that will be blood meridian and after that probably suttree.

I loved the road and can’t wait to read more of his work. It’s safe to say I’m hooked!