"He said the wicked know that if the ill they do be of sufficient horror men will not speak against it. That men have just enough stomach for small evils and only these will they oppose."
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Overall I enjoyed this one as a literary work but it suffered from quite slow monologues. I understand they were intended to be philosophical inquiries but they just killed the flow of the narrative. Because this is McCarthy, I knew it would be dark, but I hated the death of the wolf. I get the purpose was to show Billy's empathy and difference from those around him, but I didn't enjoy reading it. I had to confront that urge within myself to turn away when the scenes became too intense.

The use of the Munoz family and other to display the multifaceted nature of Mexican culture and inherent generosity was appreciated. Billy was almost the opposite of John Grady in that his instincts always led him to more loss and heartache. The doctor's kindness, using so many of his resources for free to save Boyd, measured against the greed re the wolf and horses, displayed the spectrum of empathy in humanity and how it is always a choice.

The book started a little slow for me and I didn't find Billy to be as inherently likeable as John Grady was. The violence and cruelty of this definitely pushed my boundaries. Loved the dialogue again and sparseness of over-emoting. When it happened, it mattered.