I'd never read anything by Cormac McCarthy until just a few days ago when I picked up his latest novel No Country for Old Men (2005). I'd had his most famous (and most lauded) work Blood Meridian in my "January To-Read" stack (Yes, I actually do have such a stack set aside.) for a couple of weeks, but decided to read No Country first.
From the little I know about Blood Meridian, it's a brutally violent, yet brilliant work dealing with life, death, injustice, judgment, American culture, God, and much more. (I also know that I wish I had a First Edition instead of my ex-library Modern Library copy. If you've got a true first, you're looking at $300 or more if you want to sell it.)
No Country addresses some of the same issues as Blood Meridian, but according to what I've read about this new book, it's much more accessible than McCarthy's other works. I found the writing to be very bare-bones with few wasted words, which I greatly appreciate (and wish I could incorporate in my own writing), but rich with meaning and depth. What amazes me is how much McCarthy shows you about these characters while telling you so little. The setting/landscape (1980's West Texas and Mexico) is vital to the story, almost a character in itself. (You can read about the plot on Amazon, but it's better if you just jump into the book. If you don't like it after the first 20 pages, you're not going to like the rest of it.)
Although the novel is not perfect (There's too much symbolism at times, some of which doesn't work.), it is gripping. The way each of these characters faces death and change (Are they related?) is spellbinding. It's a fascinating book, my favorite read (out of three) of 2006 so far.
Now Playing = Why Should the Fire Die? – Nickel Creek
Now Reading = House of Leaves – Mark Z. Danielewski
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