Status
Available
Call number
Publication
New York : Vintage eBooks, [2010]
Description
This stark novel is set in an unspecified place in Appalachia, sometime around the turn of the century. A woman bears her brother's child, a boy; he leaves the baby in the woods and tells her he died of natural causes. Discovering her brother's lie, she sets forth alone to find her son. Both brother and sister wander separately through a countryside being scourged by three terrifying and elusive strangers, headlong toward an eerie, apocalyptic resolution.
Media reviews
The originality of Mr. McCarthy's novel is not in its theme or locale, both of which are impressively ancient. It is his style which compels admiration, a style compounded of Appalachian phrases as plain and as functional as an ax.
User reviews
LibraryThing member michaelmurphy
One of Cormac McCarthy's early novels, set in a rural landscape somewhere in a pre-modern Appalachia, "The Outer Dark" is a dark disturbing story about Rinthy Holme's search for her lost baby, the product of an incestuous union with her brother Culla, who unknown to Rinthy, has abandoned the baby
There's no great depth - or twists - of plot in "The Outer Dark". Rather than plot-driven, the narrative cross-cuts intermittently between two separate journeys made by brother and sister - a structure that allows McCarthy scope at once to describe Rinthy (in search of lost child on discovery of Culla's lie) and Culla's wanderings in the landscape they pass through and the mixed-bag of eccentric, grotesque characters they encounter on their travels.
"The Outer Dark" is about a landscape and the people who inhabit it. Colourful set-pieces involving Rinthy and Culla, in encounters and 'run-ins' with crusty 'locals' - and cranky backwoods southerners often living in squalor in dilapidated shacks and isolated cabins deep in the woods - who cross their separate paths, are interspersed with sharp dialogue and sardonic wit.
A dark mood pervades this Southern Gothic novel. An early scene - where Culla flees the scene of his evil act, careering through the dark depths of the forest in full flight, hands outstretched before him "against whatever the dark might hold" - is heavy with portent, as if something dreadful, some unseen malevolent presence were about. For Culla, whatever the 'dark' might hold, remains to be seen. And that sense of ominous foreboding continues through much of 'The Outer Dark'. Out of the 'dark' too, like outcasts straight from Hell, the coming of three terrifying figures roaming the land with murderous intent, manifested in the shock-horror violence of a gruesome, disturbing climax.
Welcome to Cormac McCarthy Country! Incest! Cannibalism! Shock-horror violence! Not for the squeamish. Too much perhaps for the faint-of-heart to endure? Okay, McCarthy's style of writing may not be to everyone's taste. But if you enjoy the chilling walk through the 'dark' woods of "The Outer Dark", book up for another trip into McCarthy country with "Child of God" or "The Orchard Keeper". And with echoes of 'McCarthy Country', Castle Freeman's gripping short novel "Go With Me" takes the reader on a suspenseful mystery ride, tense with foreboding, deep into the bleak backwoods of Vermont. Good reading!
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deep in the woods, telling Rinthy he died. The child, left to die, survives, rescued by a tinker. There's no great depth - or twists - of plot in "The Outer Dark". Rather than plot-driven, the narrative cross-cuts intermittently between two separate journeys made by brother and sister - a structure that allows McCarthy scope at once to describe Rinthy (in search of lost child on discovery of Culla's lie) and Culla's wanderings in the landscape they pass through and the mixed-bag of eccentric, grotesque characters they encounter on their travels.
"The Outer Dark" is about a landscape and the people who inhabit it. Colourful set-pieces involving Rinthy and Culla, in encounters and 'run-ins' with crusty 'locals' - and cranky backwoods southerners often living in squalor in dilapidated shacks and isolated cabins deep in the woods - who cross their separate paths, are interspersed with sharp dialogue and sardonic wit.
A dark mood pervades this Southern Gothic novel. An early scene - where Culla flees the scene of his evil act, careering through the dark depths of the forest in full flight, hands outstretched before him "against whatever the dark might hold" - is heavy with portent, as if something dreadful, some unseen malevolent presence were about. For Culla, whatever the 'dark' might hold, remains to be seen. And that sense of ominous foreboding continues through much of 'The Outer Dark'. Out of the 'dark' too, like outcasts straight from Hell, the coming of three terrifying figures roaming the land with murderous intent, manifested in the shock-horror violence of a gruesome, disturbing climax.
Welcome to Cormac McCarthy Country! Incest! Cannibalism! Shock-horror violence! Not for the squeamish. Too much perhaps for the faint-of-heart to endure? Okay, McCarthy's style of writing may not be to everyone's taste. But if you enjoy the chilling walk through the 'dark' woods of "The Outer Dark", book up for another trip into McCarthy country with "Child of God" or "The Orchard Keeper". And with echoes of 'McCarthy Country', Castle Freeman's gripping short novel "Go With Me" takes the reader on a suspenseful mystery ride, tense with foreboding, deep into the bleak backwoods of Vermont. Good reading!
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LibraryThing member ocgreg34
In a rundown cabin, perhaps in the forest or in the mountains, Rinthy Holme gives birth to a boy. Her brother Culla should be happy, but instead tells Rinthy that the child died and takes him -- his own son -- into the forest and leaves him on a tree stump. When Rinthy learns of Culla's deceit, she
As with all McCarthy's books that I've read so far, he has an interesting way with language that makes a character's voice seem real and down to earth, giving them a time and a place, such as with the dialect that the Holmes' and the men and the people they encounter. And you believe those characters. Couple that with his descriptions of the countryside or towns or the people themselves, and you can clearly imagine the harsh landscape, with rutted roads and dilapidated buildings.
However, I only somewhat enjoyed the story of Culla and Rinthy traveling their different ways through the towns. While it was clear that Rinthy searched for her son and the tinker, Culla's journey seems to be consumed with looking for work rather than finding his sister, though ostensibly that's why he's roaming the countryside. As for the dark trio, I wasn't quite sure of their role in this, either. Why were they terrorizing the countryside? Why did they seem to know so much about Culla and what he did to Rinthy? I felt as though some piece of the puzzle were missing that would have made their actions more logical to the story.
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packs up her few belongings and runs away, determined to find her son and the tinker who she believes took him. Culla returns home from a day out hunting for work and finds Rinthy gone. So he sets out on his own quest to find her. As each sibling travels through the many counties, a dark trio of men wreaks havoc on the same countryside, heading toward a confrontation with the brother and sister.As with all McCarthy's books that I've read so far, he has an interesting way with language that makes a character's voice seem real and down to earth, giving them a time and a place, such as with the dialect that the Holmes' and the men and the people they encounter. And you believe those characters. Couple that with his descriptions of the countryside or towns or the people themselves, and you can clearly imagine the harsh landscape, with rutted roads and dilapidated buildings.
However, I only somewhat enjoyed the story of Culla and Rinthy traveling their different ways through the towns. While it was clear that Rinthy searched for her son and the tinker, Culla's journey seems to be consumed with looking for work rather than finding his sister, though ostensibly that's why he's roaming the countryside. As for the dark trio, I wasn't quite sure of their role in this, either. Why were they terrorizing the countryside? Why did they seem to know so much about Culla and what he did to Rinthy? I felt as though some piece of the puzzle were missing that would have made their actions more logical to the story.
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LibraryThing member samfsmith
Draw a line from William Faulkner through the midnight dark of the human soul and at the end of it you will find Cormac McCarthy, picking over the bones of murderer and murdered, like some oracle seeking the truth of the ways of man and god. McCarthy’s god is, at best, indifferent. At worst,
Set in the mythical southern Appalachia of Faulkner, this novel is sparse and stark. It follows an incestuous brother and sister. She bears his child; he abandons it to the elements. The baby is taken by a passing tinker. She sets out to find the baby. The brother sets out to find her. Along the way they encounter good and evil in many forms. Look for no happy ending here.
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malevolent and sadistic.Set in the mythical southern Appalachia of Faulkner, this novel is sparse and stark. It follows an incestuous brother and sister. She bears his child; he abandons it to the elements. The baby is taken by a passing tinker. She sets out to find the baby. The brother sets out to find her. Along the way they encounter good and evil in many forms. Look for no happy ending here.
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LibraryThing member fuzzy_patters
It appears that McCarthy was really trying to channel William Faulkner in Outer Dark. His portrayal of American Appalachia is very reminiscent of Faulkner's portrayal of the American south, and the meandering pace and lack of punctuation leave Outer Dark feeling like a sureal dream on a sweaty,
What is the story about? I am not completely sure, actually. It is equal parts biblical symbolism and American folkism. At its heart, it is a story about a woman looking for her baby, and a brother looking for the woman. Deeply intense and engageing, it is a quick page turner and well worth reading.
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summer night. What is the story about? I am not completely sure, actually. It is equal parts biblical symbolism and American folkism. At its heart, it is a story about a woman looking for her baby, and a brother looking for the woman. Deeply intense and engageing, it is a quick page turner and well worth reading.
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LibraryThing member tibobi
This story is about a brother, his sister and her baby which is left to die in the forest. The sister goes in search of the baby and her brother heads out after her to find her and bring her back. Along the way, they meet people from all walks of life..some kind, some not so kind. Once again,
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Cormac McCarthy paints a grim tale of human suffering. Although this is not the kind of book you enjoy reading, I find it staying with me as The Road did. There is one scene in the book that I felt could have been left out.. but now that I have read some of his other books I am beginning to think it is a theme to inlcude such subject matte Show Less
LibraryThing member NativeRoses
As usual, sentence by sentence, Cormac McCarthy writes surprising, penetrating, beautiful prose. Outer Dark's tragedies are seen through the eyes of cowboys, woodsmen, moonshiners, snake hunters and others who live in poverty to the rhythm of the seasons. We see morning glories climbing a fence
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next to a starving girl and hear the ruminations of serial killers as 19 year old Rinthy Holme wanders barefoot and hungry searching for her stolen baby through a dangerous landscape. Highly recommended. Show Less
LibraryThing member knittingfreak
I'm not sure exactly where to start with this one. I can't really say that I enjoyed this book. I really thought I would from the blurb on the back of the book, but it wasn't to be. I haven't read anything else by McCarthy so I don't know if this is typical of his writing or not. If it is, I
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probably won't be reading any more of his work. The story is about a young woman who has her brother's baby. There's no background information to explain how they came to be alone or why they're living in this remote cabin in the middle of nowhere. The reader isn't told whether the brother rapes his sister or whether she consents to sex with him. All this happens before the story begins. He's afraid that someone will find out about their secret and so he won't call anyone to help her when the time comes to deliver the baby. In reality, I don't think he wanted anyone to be there to witness what he does. After his sister falls asleep, he takes the baby and leaves him in the woods and tells her that the baby died. She soon discovers his lie. While she spends the rest of the book looking for her son, her brother is searching for her. I'm not squeamish, but I could see how some people would find this book more than a little disturbing. There is quite a bit of senseless violence without any redemption. Don't worry about spoilers with this one -- because there really is no plot. Like I said, this one is hard to describe. Show Less
LibraryThing member gonzobrarian
Though short in length, Outer Dark is a deep and lengthy exposition on the antiquated and rural American experience. McCarthy skillfully frays and interweaves a set of storylines occurring around the turn of the 20th century, though since it takes place in an isolated and unnamed countryside, it
The story is based around the familial dissolution between Culla Holme and his sister Rinthy. Living together in rural isolation and upon the birth of her child, her brother promptly discards her child in the wilderness and sets out on an aimless sojourn for sustenance and perhaps a new set of boots; while awakened with the loss of her family, Rinthy resolves to set out and reclaim her child. Interspersed between each character's quest is the inclusion of a band of marauding malevolence influencing the travels of each.
Progressing through the Cormac McCarthy oeuvre, I've come to notice certain undeniable recurrences: aimless and intentionally underdeveloped characters, no quotation marks, sparse yet colorful dialogue, dusty and nearly-deserted roads serving as the vehicle of the story, and a healthy dose of depravity. None remains lacking here.
I contend that McCarthy is just as much a writer of horror as he is of high literature in the Faulknerian tradition asserted by so many others. Outer Dark is not just a story about incest or poverty, but rather like Blood Meridian or No Country for Old Men, it's about the pervasive lack of morality or injustice and the whimsical brutality so inherent to humankind. It's about cannibalism, both metaphorical and literal; it's about the people who are "takers", those who are able to possess or consume others; and in McCarthy's world, the consequences are never assumed for anyone's actions.
Outer Dark is much starker than McCarthy's The Road, as it establishes a post-apocalyptic environment without the fireworks or even hint of a catastrophic event. Quite simply, it isn't needed. In that respect, it's much more powerful and disturbing; its conclusion is the antithesis to that in The Road.
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may as well be placed in the 19th century.The story is based around the familial dissolution between Culla Holme and his sister Rinthy. Living together in rural isolation and upon the birth of her child, her brother promptly discards her child in the wilderness and sets out on an aimless sojourn for sustenance and perhaps a new set of boots; while awakened with the loss of her family, Rinthy resolves to set out and reclaim her child. Interspersed between each character's quest is the inclusion of a band of marauding malevolence influencing the travels of each.
Progressing through the Cormac McCarthy oeuvre, I've come to notice certain undeniable recurrences: aimless and intentionally underdeveloped characters, no quotation marks, sparse yet colorful dialogue, dusty and nearly-deserted roads serving as the vehicle of the story, and a healthy dose of depravity. None remains lacking here.
I contend that McCarthy is just as much a writer of horror as he is of high literature in the Faulknerian tradition asserted by so many others. Outer Dark is not just a story about incest or poverty, but rather like Blood Meridian or No Country for Old Men, it's about the pervasive lack of morality or injustice and the whimsical brutality so inherent to humankind. It's about cannibalism, both metaphorical and literal; it's about the people who are "takers", those who are able to possess or consume others; and in McCarthy's world, the consequences are never assumed for anyone's actions.
Outer Dark is much starker than McCarthy's The Road, as it establishes a post-apocalyptic environment without the fireworks or even hint of a catastrophic event. Quite simply, it isn't needed. In that respect, it's much more powerful and disturbing; its conclusion is the antithesis to that in The Road.
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LibraryThing member palaverofbirds
Just a tad disturbing. "Did they really...?" "Yes, they did."
LibraryThing member mumfie
Having read The Road I was curious to read another by the same author.
The story starts off well, with a woman giving birth to her brother's baby and he then deposes the baby by a creek to die but the baby is collected by a tinker who passes it on to someone who can wetnurse it.
The father/brother
Meanwhile the mother has also left their hovel and gone off looking for the tinker and their baby. Again she meanders round the roads, meeting and interacting with people.
The ending comes completely as a surprise. It's nasty, unpleasant, and has very little to do with the story which makes it a bad ending. It shocks but it's not really in context and achieves little.
The story starts off well, with a woman giving birth to her brother's baby and he then deposes the baby by a creek to die but the baby is collected by a tinker who passes it on to someone who can wetnurse it.
The father/brother
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goes off to seek work or to just leave the situation, never made quite clear. He meanders around, doing a bit of odd jobs, but getting himself in trouble here and there, but without purpose.Meanwhile the mother has also left their hovel and gone off looking for the tinker and their baby. Again she meanders round the roads, meeting and interacting with people.
The ending comes completely as a surprise. It's nasty, unpleasant, and has very little to do with the story which makes it a bad ending. It shocks but it's not really in context and achieves little.
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LibraryThing member carrieprice78
I really enjoyed reading this. The story was very sparse, and of course, as with all Cormac McCarthy novels, prepare to be depressed. There ain't a one person who is nice to another in all the world, it seems, and this story is no different. He nailed the Appalachian dialect. Reading the dialogue
The story was spare and Gothic, but I'm not sure what I mean by that. Other reviews have said it's a classic Western set in the Appalachians, but I don't figure I'm familiar enough with the Western genre to say that. There wasn't much in the way of character development, but that's okay. The thrill in reading this story is more situational. The landscapes are painted beautifully, and most of the people are creepy and mean spirited.
There were a few things I didn't quite understand in this edition--most chapters had a mini-chapter in italics in between, just a page or two long. Most of the time they made sense in the context of one or another of the story lines, but one or two left me wondering exactly what had happened.
To tell you just how engrossing this novel was: I usually pick up a number of books in any given week and start reading, put it down, read little bits, switch books. What I mean to say is I don't currently have the attention span to finish novels, but I read the first page of this and pretty much read it until it was over. The first few paragraphs make it impossible to put down.
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was a real treat, and not cumbersome in the least.The story was spare and Gothic, but I'm not sure what I mean by that. Other reviews have said it's a classic Western set in the Appalachians, but I don't figure I'm familiar enough with the Western genre to say that. There wasn't much in the way of character development, but that's okay. The thrill in reading this story is more situational. The landscapes are painted beautifully, and most of the people are creepy and mean spirited.
There were a few things I didn't quite understand in this edition--most chapters had a mini-chapter in italics in between, just a page or two long. Most of the time they made sense in the context of one or another of the story lines, but one or two left me wondering exactly what had happened.
To tell you just how engrossing this novel was: I usually pick up a number of books in any given week and start reading, put it down, read little bits, switch books. What I mean to say is I don't currently have the attention span to finish novels, but I read the first page of this and pretty much read it until it was over. The first few paragraphs make it impossible to put down.
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LibraryThing member Bridgey
Where do I start?....
This is Cormacs second novel and starts as dark as it continues. A brother and sister father a child. The brother tells her the child has died, but actually leaves it to perish in the forest. The lie is found out and the sister goes in search of the childs whereabouts. In turn
Along each siblings journey they encounter various characters and ways of life.
As with all of mcarthys works don't expect anyone to have a good time or be particularly joyous. His usual desolate descriptive prose cuts right through to the bone. A little hard to follow at times, but it is always worth the effort.
Cormac Mcarthy is an amazing writer and one that I can see being studied for generations to come
This is Cormacs second novel and starts as dark as it continues. A brother and sister father a child. The brother tells her the child has died, but actually leaves it to perish in the forest. The lie is found out and the sister goes in search of the childs whereabouts. In turn
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the brother follows to find the sister....Along each siblings journey they encounter various characters and ways of life.
As with all of mcarthys works don't expect anyone to have a good time or be particularly joyous. His usual desolate descriptive prose cuts right through to the bone. A little hard to follow at times, but it is always worth the effort.
Cormac Mcarthy is an amazing writer and one that I can see being studied for generations to come
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LibraryThing member ncnsstnt
Possibly one of the most depressing, depraved books ever written.
LibraryThing member TeRuJi
Great book. But, if you like endings that wrap everything up nicely and leave you feeling satisfied that all questions have been answered, then this book is not for you. McCarthy takes you on a fun ride in the process.
LibraryThing member bibliophile26
I noticed McCarthy has come up on a lot of people's booklists. Anyone care to explain to me the point of this book or the ending (which I reread several times and yet failed to understand)? Plot summary is a brother and sister produce a child (of incest) and brother takes child and tells sister
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that child died. Sister decides to search for the child and brother trys to find sister (?). I found this book frustratingly strange and will probably not seek out any of the author's other books. Show Less
LibraryThing member stang50logan
I do like McCarthy's writing style, I loved The Road. While this book kept me reading as I was pulled into where this book was going, I kept wondering what is truly to story line and when would the paths intertwine. Overall the ending was unexpected and lacked detail and closure. I was excited up
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until the last 50 or so pages and complete lost me by the end... Show Less
LibraryThing member KatharineDB
Southern Gothic - almost. Wasnt that shocking or frightening- held my interest but rather disapointing
LibraryThing member Neftzger
There's plenty of darkness inside Outer Dark. This book has some beautifully written passages, but I found less hope in this story than I did in The Road and that made it a somewhat depressing read. McCarthy has an unconventional writing style - he knows the rules and then breaks them with flair
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along with gracefully written descriptive passages that contain elements of poetry. However, the overall story left me with a desire to see more of the redemptive side of human nature. Each of us contains darkness and light within us, and true to the title this book describes the darkness — both within and without. Show Less
LibraryThing member giovannigf
Southern Gothic taken to such an extreme that it almost becomes camp. Very enjoyable.
LibraryThing member TobinElliott
McCarthy's second novel and the second one in a row that I found underwhelming.
I understand the undercurrent of sin and judgement here. It's quite palpable in McCarthy's prose. But what I can't get past is how thin the story is. We're treated to scene after scene after scene of Culla arriving
Culla's sister Rinthy isn't treated much better, going through her own mostly meaningless meetings with various people on her journey.
Honestly, if any of these meetings served to advance the plot rather than take up space, I would have appreciated them more. Yes, at least some of Culla's previous characters come back around, but still, this novel could have been half the length and still deliver the same message.
Is McCarthy a good writer? Absolutely. His word choice, his phrasing, his eye for detail is incredible. But I'd really like to read something that doesn't have a paper-thin plot that requires page after page of prettily-worded filler to bulk it out.
I understand the undercurrent of sin and judgement here. It's quite palpable in McCarthy's prose. But what I can't get past is how thin the story is. We're treated to scene after scene after scene of Culla arriving
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somewhere, looking for work, having a relatively lengthy and meaningless conversation with someone who eventually points him to the person who can give him work. That conversation is the same one over and over again...where you from? What are you running from? Are you married? It's the same conversation.Culla's sister Rinthy isn't treated much better, going through her own mostly meaningless meetings with various people on her journey.
Honestly, if any of these meetings served to advance the plot rather than take up space, I would have appreciated them more. Yes, at least some of Culla's previous characters come back around, but still, this novel could have been half the length and still deliver the same message.
Is McCarthy a good writer? Absolutely. His word choice, his phrasing, his eye for detail is incredible. But I'd really like to read something that doesn't have a paper-thin plot that requires page after page of prettily-worded filler to bulk it out.
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LibraryThing member LoriRous
McCarthy gives the reader a fascinating glimpse into the lives and minds of people who have lived in the back woods of Appalachia for generations - people whose lives seem aimless and with little or no opportunity to question the authority that governs them and which keeps them in their perpetual
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state of ignorance and poverty. McCarthy’s prose is poignant, at times hilarious, at times breathtaking and shocking and which is masterful in its depiction of Apalachia. Show Less
LibraryThing member MarkLacy
A dark and sad and violent book. I'm very impressed with the way McCarthy captures dialect, and his use of language and his style. Not a good book to read if you want cheering up, but a very well written book that makes me want to read more of his work.
LibraryThing member stillatim
By this, his second novel, most of the McCarthy greatness is present, but he still had to shed a few of the sillier stuff that was dragging him down--most importantly, his belief that people can still be shocked by incest, the murder of the innocents, and infantophagy. Yes, the former is meant to
But that can be ignored. This is my second time through Outer Dark, and it really is an excellent novel: memorable scenes, an accurate depiction of childbirth and its after-effects, and much, much tighter than Orchard Keeper. This might be the place to start with McCarthy, in fact.
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put this squarely in Greek tragedy territory, but the latter (only hinted at, even here) as been de rigueur since Swift, and the murder of innocents functions much better in Blood Meridian, where instead of being the 'terrible' climax, it simply suffuses the entirety of the book/universe. But that can be ignored. This is my second time through Outer Dark, and it really is an excellent novel: memorable scenes, an accurate depiction of childbirth and its after-effects, and much, much tighter than Orchard Keeper. This might be the place to start with McCarthy, in fact.
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LibraryThing member DonnaEverhart
This is taken from the blog for consistency:
Here we go again.
Three stars. (Sorry McCarthy fans.) In my opinion, it's a generous ranking for OUTER DARK.
UPDATE: I lied. Make that two stars. (i.e. it was
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I so want to love McCarthy, and I don't even know why. I have read a couple books by him I liked, but these last two? Meh. Double meh on OUTER DARK. At this point, CHILD OF GOD, SUTTREE, and OUTER DARK haven't held up in comparison with THE ROAD. I should probably read THE ROAD again, just to see how his writing changed between that story and these earlier works. I don't remember nitpicking over the style of it. I do recall that the boy was rather cryptic. "Yes." "Okay." I don't recall the father being verbose either. Those weren't chatty times however, considering the premise.
I think I'm beginning to get the sense of McCarthy, or more accurately, his style. Basically it's to use odd, rarely used words (that require a dictionary for most of us), then try as hard as possible to fling a multitude of them into a sentence. Pick the most taboo subject (OUTER DARK is about incest between a brother and sister, CHILD OF GOD was about necrophilia) and use it in a story. Make sure your characters are mostly miserable, yet sometimes funny. Make sure they say, "I got to get on," several times and have the other character interrupt and delay their departure. Again and again. Do it multiple times throughout the book. Do it in several books. Start most conversations off with "Hidy." (for those not sure, quaint way of saying "howdy.") I think what I'm saying is, his technique is repetitive and his characters come out sounding very much alike.
I have to hand it to him on one thing. He's a master at developing a scene via dialogue. In OUTER DARK, there's one where one of the main characters (Holme as he's called), is watching a handful of drovers lead a bunch of pigs to some distant place. One of them stops to have a conversation with Holme and then goes on. The pigs get a little crazy and next thing everyone knows, a good portion of them are careening off into a ravine. The man Holme spoke with also ends up going over the edge somehow. Holme goes up to the bunch and says, "what happened?" They don't know. Next, a preacher walks up. ("Hidy") And before long, the other men are blaming Holme for the death of their friend, eyeing him with suspicion because all the while, the preacher with his repeated "don't hang him," plants this very idea into their heads. Definitely skilled at this sort of thing.
I thought maybe I'd simply chosen the wrong books. I peeked at ALL THE PRETTY HORSES on Amazon and began reading the preview. I barely got past the first page. I flipped a few more. I saw "I better get on back." The other character continued the conversation. "I better get on." (again)
Yep, I'm through and through at the moment. I can't bring myself to buy another one. At this time, BLOOD MERIDIAN is the last McCarthy book in my TBR pile. It just might have to sit there a while.
Here we go again.
Three stars. (Sorry McCarthy fans.) In my opinion, it's a generous ranking for OUTER DARK.
UPDATE: I lied. Make that two stars. (i.e. it was
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okay)**************************************************************************************************************************************************************
I so want to love McCarthy, and I don't even know why. I have read a couple books by him I liked, but these last two? Meh. Double meh on OUTER DARK. At this point, CHILD OF GOD, SUTTREE, and OUTER DARK haven't held up in comparison with THE ROAD. I should probably read THE ROAD again, just to see how his writing changed between that story and these earlier works. I don't remember nitpicking over the style of it. I do recall that the boy was rather cryptic. "Yes." "Okay." I don't recall the father being verbose either. Those weren't chatty times however, considering the premise.
I think I'm beginning to get the sense of McCarthy, or more accurately, his style. Basically it's to use odd, rarely used words (that require a dictionary for most of us), then try as hard as possible to fling a multitude of them into a sentence. Pick the most taboo subject (OUTER DARK is about incest between a brother and sister, CHILD OF GOD was about necrophilia) and use it in a story. Make sure your characters are mostly miserable, yet sometimes funny. Make sure they say, "I got to get on," several times and have the other character interrupt and delay their departure. Again and again. Do it multiple times throughout the book. Do it in several books. Start most conversations off with "Hidy." (for those not sure, quaint way of saying "howdy.") I think what I'm saying is, his technique is repetitive and his characters come out sounding very much alike.
I have to hand it to him on one thing. He's a master at developing a scene via dialogue. In OUTER DARK, there's one where one of the main characters (Holme as he's called), is watching a handful of drovers lead a bunch of pigs to some distant place. One of them stops to have a conversation with Holme and then goes on. The pigs get a little crazy and next thing everyone knows, a good portion of them are careening off into a ravine. The man Holme spoke with also ends up going over the edge somehow. Holme goes up to the bunch and says, "what happened?" They don't know. Next, a preacher walks up. ("Hidy") And before long, the other men are blaming Holme for the death of their friend, eyeing him with suspicion because all the while, the preacher with his repeated "don't hang him," plants this very idea into their heads. Definitely skilled at this sort of thing.
I thought maybe I'd simply chosen the wrong books. I peeked at ALL THE PRETTY HORSES on Amazon and began reading the preview. I barely got past the first page. I flipped a few more. I saw "I better get on back." The other character continued the conversation. "I better get on." (again)
Yep, I'm through and through at the moment. I can't bring myself to buy another one. At this time, BLOOD MERIDIAN is the last McCarthy book in my TBR pile. It just might have to sit there a while.
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LibraryThing member blake.rosser
A dreary and menacing, slow-boiling narrative culminates in an act of utter horror which highlights the futility of the protagonists' struggles. . . and ostensibly of existence in general. One of the more depressing novels I've ever read, on display in Cormac McCarthy's second book is his now-usual
Here is a supremely confident writer, already supremely confident very early in his career. He uses words and grammar in combinations that are not intuitive and may not even be technically correct, but at no point do you misunderstand his meaning; in that way he is a superlative wordsmith, twisting and coaxing words and phrases to elicit a precise significance that is rarely lost on the reader.
He does get too fancy for me at times, edging into pretentiousness. His penchant for using obscure word piled upon obscure word comes off as flaunting and can be distracting throughout the novel. You can pretty much open the book to any random page and find an example or two, but I'll include one that particularly stuck out toward the end: What discordant vespers do the tinker's goods chime through the long twilight and over the brindled forest road, him stooped and hounded through the windy recrements of day like those old exiles who divorced of corporeality and enjoined ingress of heaven or hell wander forever the middle warrens spoorless increate and anathema. Hounded by grief, by guilt, or like this cheerless vendor clamored at heel through wood and fen by his own querulous and inconsolable wares in perennial tin malediction. 229
Now this is a particualrly egregious example, but c'mon, what does that even mean?! "Discordant vespers"? "Brindled"? "Recrements"? "Middle warrens spoorless increate and anathema"? "Perennial tin malediction"? Spellcheck doesn't even know some of these words! Unfortunately, McCarthy just appears to be trying way too hard in passages like these. Thankfully he would learn restraint in later works.
He's still my favorite living author though!
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mastery of tone and his awe-inspiring dialogue, so natural that it amazes you to realize that McCarthy wasn't an eyewitness of the times. Here is a supremely confident writer, already supremely confident very early in his career. He uses words and grammar in combinations that are not intuitive and may not even be technically correct, but at no point do you misunderstand his meaning; in that way he is a superlative wordsmith, twisting and coaxing words and phrases to elicit a precise significance that is rarely lost on the reader.
He does get too fancy for me at times, edging into pretentiousness. His penchant for using obscure word piled upon obscure word comes off as flaunting and can be distracting throughout the novel. You can pretty much open the book to any random page and find an example or two, but I'll include one that particularly stuck out toward the end: What discordant vespers do the tinker's goods chime through the long twilight and over the brindled forest road, him stooped and hounded through the windy recrements of day like those old exiles who divorced of corporeality and enjoined ingress of heaven or hell wander forever the middle warrens spoorless increate and anathema. Hounded by grief, by guilt, or like this cheerless vendor clamored at heel through wood and fen by his own querulous and inconsolable wares in perennial tin malediction. 229
Now this is a particualrly egregious example, but c'mon, what does that even mean?! "Discordant vespers"? "Brindled"? "Recrements"? "Middle warrens spoorless increate and anathema"? "Perennial tin malediction"? Spellcheck doesn't even know some of these words! Unfortunately, McCarthy just appears to be trying way too hard in passages like these. Thankfully he would learn restraint in later works.
He's still my favorite living author though!
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Language
Original publication date
1968
ISBN
0307762491 / 9780307762498
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