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A review by leswag97
Outer Dark by Cormac McCarthy
4.0
"But the children of the kingdom of God shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 8:12)
Dark, indeed. McCarthy’s second book focuses on an estranged pair of siblings, Culla and Rinthy Holme, and on each sibling’s journey through Appalachia. Rinthy is in search of her newborn child, who was quickly and secretly disposed of by Rinthy’s brother Culla, because the child was born out of the siblings’ forbidden union. Culla journeys through the mountains of Appalachia in search of Rinthy, while, unbeknownst to him, a trio of unnamed and violent men hunt him down. Both Rinthy and Culla meet and interact with a host of interesting characters along the way, ultimately leading to a hellish ending.
McCarthy’s writing in this book is superb, as is expected, while the characters are unnerving and the storyline is tragic (also expected). This story is less violent than [b:Blood Meridian, or, the Evening Redness in the West|394535|Blood Meridian, or, the Evening Redness in the West|Cormac McCarthy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1453995760l/394535._SY75_.jpg|1065465], to be sure, but is just as strange and nihilistic—and the ending may go too far in its depiction of the consequences of Culla’s sins (against his sister and his child). This book is probably not for everyone, and is not as strong as McCarthy’s other works I’ve read, but I still enjoyed it—if only because it is classic McCarthy.
RIP, Cormac (1933–2023).
Dark, indeed. McCarthy’s second book focuses on an estranged pair of siblings, Culla and Rinthy Holme, and on each sibling’s journey through Appalachia. Rinthy is in search of her newborn child, who was quickly and secretly disposed of by Rinthy’s brother Culla, because the child was born out of the siblings’ forbidden union. Culla journeys through the mountains of Appalachia in search of Rinthy, while, unbeknownst to him, a trio of unnamed and violent men hunt him down. Both Rinthy and Culla meet and interact with a host of interesting characters along the way, ultimately leading to a hellish ending.
McCarthy’s writing in this book is superb, as is expected, while the characters are unnerving and the storyline is tragic (also expected). This story is less violent than [b:Blood Meridian, or, the Evening Redness in the West|394535|Blood Meridian, or, the Evening Redness in the West|Cormac McCarthy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1453995760l/394535._SY75_.jpg|1065465], to be sure, but is just as strange and nihilistic—and the ending may go too far in its depiction of the consequences of Culla’s sins (against his sister and his child). This book is probably not for everyone, and is not as strong as McCarthy’s other works I’ve read, but I still enjoyed it—if only because it is classic McCarthy.
RIP, Cormac (1933–2023).