Note: This is Book #24 of my 52 Books in 52 Weeks challenge for 2008.
Since I had enjoyed The Road by Cormac McCarthy so much, I decided to pick up what is supposed to be his most impressive work, Blood Meridian or, The Evening Redness in the West. Yikes. I mean, yikes. Talk about disturbing…
On the surface, this is a Western novel in that it’s got cowboys, Indians, shootouts, deserts in the Southwest, ponchos, and all that stuff. But that’s just the veneer. The story mostly follows the Glanton Gang, a group of marauders who hunted the scalps of Indians and Mexicans along the US/Mexico border. The group is accompanied by the enigmatic Judge Holden, who is as violent as he is intelligent –that is, very on both counts. Imagine Marlon Brando’s Colonel Kurtz from Apocalypse Now. Except that he’s not as warm and cuddly. When he’s not murdering people, The Judge often delivers long, drawn out lectures on philosophy, the meaning of life, and other weighty subjects. Actually, I take that back –sometimes he does the murdering and the philosophizing at the same time.
In fact, violence and cruelty infuse the entire book. This was, in parts, a very difficult book to read because of its unflinching examination of the murder, mutilation, sadism, brutality, cruelty, torture, and other atrocities that the Galton Gang revel in as they scrape a bloody wound across the U.S/Mexico border. Really. Think of the most disturbing act of violence you can. Now double it. And that’s a good starting point, but it get a lot worse. Consider yourself well adjusted that you can’t picture the kind of stuff I’m talking about at this point.
But at the same time, Blood Meridian is more than a gorefest. A lot more, in fact. I can hardly claim to have absorbed it all, but I can tell you that there’s plenty going on under the surface about the nature of man, obsession, man vs. nature, freedom, morality, and the like. The text is also rife with allusions and references to other literary works, as well as religious doctrines, philosophical debates, and history. There’s a lot to pick through there, and if you can excuse McCarthy for his frequent and annoying eschewing of proper punctuation and grammar you can tell that the novel is masterfully crafted. Ironically, the prose is often beautiful.
But would I recommend you it? That’s a tough question, but the answer is probably “No” unless you’re really set on it. The book is a powerful work of literature but it’s just too vile in its descriptions of violence and too nihilistic in many of its messages. It’s a testament to McCarthy’s prowess that Blood Meridian is both beautiful and horrible.
Others doing the 52-in-52 thing this week:
- Jeremy reviews The Film Club: A Memoir by David Gilmour
- Heliologue reviews A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon and The Age of Spiritual Machines by Ray Kurzweil
A week ago I finally consented to watch No Country for Old Men, though I did so with my laptop in hand and over a month’s worth of Quicken files for four different bank accounts that needed to be reconciled. Surprisingly, I always seemed to be drawn to my registers when things got particularly violent on screen. Hmm. What a coincidence. Then a few days later, someone brought The Road into my house. I refused to touch it. Now I know… if I see Cormac MaCarthy attached to something, it’s best if I stay the heck away. It’ll be “good”, but not worth disturbing my fairly limited sleep!
I’m listening to No Country for Old Men the book right now. It’s really much more of a straight up thriller story, pretty unlike The Road or Blood Meridian. And not nearly as violent as the latter.
I hear they’re making a movie out of Blood Meridian, but I have zero interest in it. The book was enough.
hmm… I enjoyed The Road a lot. I really felt the bond between the father and the son and the utter despair they faced. Kind of makes me appreciate what I have. I’m tempted to download Blood Meridian from Audible after your review. I have one more download before I cancel (I’m cheap and my local library has a pretty decent selection). I might be better off waiting though. I’ve been kind of down lately and have felt the need to switch from what I usually read to stuff more fun and upbeat. I just listened to Artemis Fowl and it was fun.
I stopped reading your review when you misspelled “Glanton” and “Marlon” in the first paragraph.
How can I take it seriously when you butcher not only the name of the gang in the book, but also one of the greatest actors of our time?
Well, that was actually in the third paragraph, if we’re pointing out each other’s errors. But fixed.