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Reviews tagging 'Animal death'
Dete božije by Nikola Matić, Cormac McCarthy, Cormac McCarthy
15 reviews
peterplaysguitar's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Recommended if you like: Cormac McCarthy; True crime's extreme serial killers, particularly Ed Gein; I don't even know how to recommend this one otherwise
Avoid if you dislike: All manners of (CW)sexual violence ; Depravity; Extreme misogyny; Casual racism; Animal cruelty; Claustrophobia; Minimal punctuation (most notably, a lack of quotation marks)
Woof.
I suppose I'm thankful Cormac McCarthy didn't commit to three- to four-hundred pages like he did with Blood Meridian. I'm not sure I would've been able to get through Child of God otherwise. The former is a marathon while the latter is a sprint, but both races lead through pitch black wilds of the human soul and the most depraved scenes I've seen a publishing company lend ink and paper to print.
This novel really is a testament to McCarthy's sparse, poetic prose and masterful storytelling. There are few others who could handle the despicable subject matter of this novel without falling into the dismissible "edgelord" category and derision (see: reviews for James Franco's 2013 A Child of God adaptation). McCarthy sculpts scenes like few others can, painting beautiful tableaus of nature and violence and occasionally throwing in one of the most striking and breathtaking turns of phrase that you've never seen before.
A few of my favorites below with spoiler tags in case you'd like to experience them fresh for yourself:
Were there darker provinces of night he would have found them.
Coming up the mountain through the blue winter twilight among great boulders and the ruins of giant trees prone in the forest he wondered at such upheaval. Disorder in the woods, trees down, new paths needed. Given charge Ballard would have made things more orderly in the woods and in men's souls.
He cast about among the stars for some kind of guidance but the heavens wore a different look that Ballard did not trust.
Ballard lying on his pallet by the fire one evening saw [bats] come from the dark of the tunnel and ascend through the hole overhead fluttering wildly in the ash and smoke like souls rising from hades. When they were gone he watched the hordes of cold stars sprawled across the smokehole and wondered what stuff they were made of, or himself.
Of course, anyone who's read McCarthy also knows the sudden brutality interspersed between these beautiful passages. There's nothing held back here. That said, he does have a way of describing horrific scenes as matter-of-fact, accomplishing so much with so few words that he doesn't need to over-describe or revel in the grotesquerie. It works to Child of God's favor, since I don't know that I have the fortitude to read the sort of extreme content covered in this novel if it overstayed its welcome.
Child of God stares down the most obscene and reprehensible darkness of humanity with a bravery that few authors can summon. It shines a light in the purposefully overlooked crevices of a man's mind and pulls out the most disgusting vermin for examination. Suffice to say, this book is not for most. I wouldn't even be surprised to learn that most fans of McCarthy don't enjoy this one. But McCarthy has a deft way of presenting such bleak and disturbing material, weaving a surprising benevolence and tolerance into the human condition.
Avoid if you dislike: All manners of (CW)
Woof.
I suppose I'm thankful Cormac McCarthy didn't commit to three- to four-hundred pages like he did with Blood Meridian. I'm not sure I would've been able to get through Child of God otherwise. The former is a marathon while the latter is a sprint, but both races lead through pitch black wilds of the human soul and the most depraved scenes I've seen a publishing company lend ink and paper to print.
This novel really is a testament to McCarthy's sparse, poetic prose and masterful storytelling. There are few others who could handle the despicable subject matter of this novel without falling into the dismissible "edgelord" category and derision (see: reviews for James Franco's 2013 A Child of God adaptation). McCarthy sculpts scenes like few others can, painting beautiful tableaus of nature and violence and occasionally throwing in one of the most striking and breathtaking turns of phrase that you've never seen before.
A few of my favorites below with spoiler tags in case you'd like to experience them fresh for yourself:
Of course, anyone who's read McCarthy also knows the sudden brutality interspersed between these beautiful passages. There's nothing held back here. That said, he does have a way of describing horrific scenes as matter-of-fact, accomplishing so much with so few words that he doesn't need to over-describe or revel in the grotesquerie. It works to Child of God's favor, since I don't know that I have the fortitude to read the sort of extreme content covered in this novel if it overstayed its welcome.
Child of God stares down the most obscene and reprehensible darkness of humanity with a bravery that few authors can summon. It shines a light in the purposefully overlooked crevices of a man's mind and pulls out the most disgusting vermin for examination. Suffice to say, this book is not for most. I wouldn't even be surprised to learn that most fans of McCarthy don't enjoy this one. But McCarthy has a deft way of presenting such bleak and disturbing material, weaving a surprising benevolence and tolerance into the human condition.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Stalking, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Confinement, Incest, Pedophilia, Medical content, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Abandonment, and Alcohol
saintgroovy's review against another edition
I struggled very hard with this book, and my discomfort with its visceral content was only amplified when I read the recent exposé on McCarthy’s grooming of a minor during his life. It made the detachment from emotionality in this book far too real, and I won’t be continuing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Stalking, and Murder
You have better ways to spend your time, darkness for the sake of darkness is uninteresting to mecaitmae03's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
god this is so weird
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Gore, Racial slurs, Sexual violence, and Violence
corruptednatz's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, and Murder
Moderate: Animal death and Rape
Minor: Incest and Pedophilia
velveetavoncheese's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Gun violence, Incest, and Sexual violence
meenot's review against another edition
dark
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Cannibalism, and Murder
jamesfrew's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual violence, and Violence
demonxore's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I won't call this a hopeful book by a long shot, but maybe you should read it if you think people are more evil nowadays than they have been in the past. Child of God is a gritty piece of literature and is a bit painful to read at times (especially since I grew up partly in East Tennessee and can picture these characters in living shoes), but there are some real nuggets of truth buried in the grime.
Also THIS BOOK IS HELLA TRIGGERING for me since I grew up in an environment similar to the place depicted in Child of God. Read with caution wrt sexual abuse, physical abuse, incestuous rape, murder, desecration of corpses, child abuse, animal cruelty.
Also THIS BOOK IS HELLA TRIGGERING for me since I grew up in an environment similar to the place depicted in Child of God. Read with caution wrt sexual abuse, physical abuse, incestuous rape, murder, desecration of corpses, child abuse, animal cruelty.
Content Warnings
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Excrement, Stalking, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
hick's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Grief, Cannibalism, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
zakcebulski's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book was vile, repugnant, and stomach-churning time and again. But, there was something about it that made it difficult to put down in the best way possible.
Child of God is the third novel by Cormac McCarthy- my person favorite American author. The book follows Lester Ballard who is just the fucking most deplorable person, man. He is an outcast, he is needlessly volatile, angry and is also a disgusting necrophiliac rapist and serial killer.
There is not too much of a plot to speak of, rather, we the readers are sitting passenger as this man commits some truly abhorrent acts in 1960s Appalachia.
As always, I have to praise McCarthy's writing. His writing is, to me, the epitome of effortlessly gorgeous, it dances and waltzes between breathtaking descriptions of 1960s Tennessee and nearly poetic feelings. I truly think that McCarthy is one of the most enticing authors to come from America, certainly in my lifetime.
I thought that the way in which you can read this book and find so many different images and references is one of its biggest strengths. There are so many lenses which you can read this book through to give it such a re-read value it may even be like reading the book for the first time again. McCarthy's descriptions of violence are, as always, vivid and choc full of cold, near callous imagery. Thankfully, instances regarding Ballard's sickening sexual acts are left more vague- literally nobody wants to read that.
What I find most fascinating about this book's subject matter, however, comes from my studying of true crime as a genre.
The way in which McCarthy captures the degradation of a serial killer is truly terrifying when you realize that this book was published in 1974. This was before many of the most infamous serial killers of American history were caught and convicted. Putting this novel and the subject matter into the chronological context of the time it is awe inspiring to see how McCarthy was able to accurately write about the gradual allowances which serial killers give themselves. He as well captured with a spine-tingling accuracy the way in which Ballard is a product killer. That is, he kills in order to get hold of the body for his more nefarious and sinister desires.
I thought that the ending sequence in the cave was one of the most anxiety inducing passages of reading which I have experienced in a long, long time. When Ballard's light goes out and he is stuck underground- that is fucking terrifying and conjures up memories of reading stories of folks stuck in the Paris catacombs, swallowed by the earth.
I also thought that Ballard's demise was pretty well done. I liked that though he got sent to a mental hospital for his heinous acts, he still dies very quickly of pneumonia and then is dissected and studied. I have an interpretation of this end where that is Ballard's atonement- he is studied after his death to prevent the disgusting acts which he committed from occurring again.
I truly think that Cormac McCarthy is one of the greatest living American authors and is someone who we are truly lucky chose to write. Every time I read one of his works, I know that I am in for a near life changing event. Reading his books don't feel like reading- they feel like I am being transported into the time which the story is taking place in.
The stories are largely filled with deplorable people, but I will be goddamned if I said that they were not amazingly written and addicting to read. I think that his full commitment to the heinousness of the human spirit and condition is what makes the books so goddamn good. If he half assed it, it would come off as more schlocky, or less believable. In good conscience, due to the subject matter of this book, I cannot recommend everyone read it without looking at the content warnings. This book is about a serial killer. This book is about a necrophiliac. This book is essentially if Ted Bundy was the lead role of a book. Please do research beforehand, because this book can affect you in a very upsetting way.
I thought that this book showed the abhorrent underside of humanity. I knew what I was getting from this book, and goddamn did it deliver. I cannot wait for my next foray into McCarthy's works.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual content, Blood, and Murder