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A review by trve_zach
The Passenger by Cormac McCarthy
Right away McCarthy presents mystery on top of mystery, one earthly the other spiritual. A plane crashes into the Gulf of Mexico and a passenger and flight info are missing. Enter Bobby Western who works the site for salvage and gets wrapped up in the conspiracy of what’s not there.
In tandem with this is a woman, Western’s sister (who we know to by dead from suicide), who is in an unknown location/room being lectured at by a mystery creature with very strange friends. We are made to wonder the purpose of these scenes right away. Is she locked away literally or figuratively? Is she schizophrenic and these her hallucinations (eventually, this is confirmed). Is this what’s driving her obsessive need to calculate, to die? These scenes are fairly impenetrable, pedantic, and slow —her need to make sense of a senseless world. That said, the way Cormac is able to slowly lead you to an understanding of her mental illness before fully confirming it is pretty neat.
The first 60-80 pages are slow. I found myself wondering if I was in the hands of a master or in the hands of a former master struggling get it back, and this is a feeling that I would totter between for the entire novel.
As the narrative progresses Western goes on the run after he notices that he’s being tracked by the government or, at least, by some shadow organization. While doing this, he has various run-ins with friends and family.
Mostly, through these run-ins, we come to learn that he’s running from the death of his sister, trying to outpace his feelings/mourning for her, the love of his life in every way imaginable. He struggles with how we slowly, terribly begin to forget those who are dead, even those closest to us, and everything verges on meaningless interaction/action, but Western ultimately elevates his sorrow to levels of transcendence…showing the collective nature of pain. This version of communal understanding and belief opens the novel up to more than just nihilistic uncertainty.
It’s very much a book wrestling with loneliness, suffering, death/impermanence of life, but also of the singularity of joy and the inherently dark nature of intelligence and its applications.
[Review copy provided by AA Knopf]
Here’s a bunch of great quotes from the book:
“You believe that the loss of those you loved has absolved you of all else.” (116)
“A few more years and his grandmother would be gone and the property would be sold and he would never come here again. The time would come when all memory of this place and these people would be stricken from the register of the world.” (177)
“People want to be reimbursed for their pain. They seldom are.” (289)
All of 298.
“We would hardly wish to know ourselves again as once we were and yet we mourn the days.” (310)
“Suffering is a part of the human condition and must be borne. But misery is a choice.” (348)
“I suppose in the end what we have to offer is only what we’ve lost.” (376)
Merged review:
Right away McCarthy presents mystery on top of mystery, one earthly the other spiritual. A plane crashes into the Gulf of Mexico and a passenger and flight info are missing. Enter Bobby Western who works the site for salvage and gets wrapped up in the conspiracy of what’s not there.
In tandem with this is a woman, Western’s sister (who we know to by dead from suicide), who is in an unknown location/room being lectured at by a mystery creature with very strange friends. We are made to wonder the purpose of these scenes right away. Is she locked away literally or figuratively? Is she schizophrenic and these her hallucinations (eventually, this is confirmed). Is this what’s driving her obsessive need to calculate, to die? These scenes are fairly impenetrable, pedantic, and slow —her need to make sense of a senseless world. That said, the way Cormac is able to slowly lead you to an understanding of her mental illness before fully confirming it is pretty neat.
The first 60-80 pages are slow. I found myself wondering if I was in the hands of a master or in the hands of a former master struggling get it back, and this is a feeling that I would totter between for the entire novel.
As the narrative progresses Western goes on the run after he notices that he’s being tracked by the government or, at least, by some shadow organization. While doing this, he has various run-ins with friends and family.
Mostly, through these run-ins, we come to learn that he’s running from the death of his sister, trying to outpace his feelings/mourning for her, the love of his life in every way imaginable. He struggles with how we slowly, terribly begin to forget those who are dead, even those closest to us, and everything verges on meaningless interaction/action, but Western ultimately elevates his sorrow to levels of transcendence…showing the collective nature of pain. This version of communal understanding and belief opens the novel up to more than just nihilistic uncertainty.
It’s very much a book wrestling with loneliness, suffering, death/impermanence of life, but also of the singularity of joy and the inherently dark nature of intelligence and its applications.
[Review copy provided by AA Knopf]
Here’s a bunch of great quotes from the book:
“You believe that the loss of those you loved has absolved you of all else.” (116)
“A few more years and his grandmother would be gone and the property would be sold and he would never come here again. The time would come when all memory of this place and these people would be stricken from the register of the world.” (177)
“People want to be reimbursed for their pain. They seldom are.” (289)
All of 298.
“We would hardly wish to know ourselves again as once we were and yet we mourn the days.” (310)
“Suffering is a part of the human condition and must be borne. But misery is a choice.” (348)
“I suppose in the end what we have to offer is only what we’ve lost.” (376)
Merged review:
Right away McCarthy presents mystery on top of mystery, one earthly the other spiritual. A plane crashes into the Gulf of Mexico and a passenger and flight info are missing. Enter Bobby Western who works the site for salvage and gets wrapped up in the conspiracy of what’s not there.
In tandem with this is a woman, Western’s sister (who we know to by dead from suicide), who is in an unknown location/room being lectured at by a mystery creature with very strange friends. We are made to wonder the purpose of these scenes right away. Is she locked away literally or figuratively? Is she schizophrenic and these her hallucinations (eventually, this is confirmed). Is this what’s driving her obsessive need to calculate, to die? These scenes are fairly impenetrable, pedantic, and slow —her need to make sense of a senseless world. That said, the way Cormac is able to slowly lead you to an understanding of her mental illness before fully confirming it is pretty neat.
The first 60-80 pages are slow. I found myself wondering if I was in the hands of a master or in the hands of a former master struggling get it back, and this is a feeling that I would totter between for the entire novel.
As the narrative progresses Western goes on the run after he notices that he’s being tracked by the government or, at least, by some shadow organization. While doing this, he has various run-ins with friends and family.
Mostly, through these run-ins, we come to learn that he’s running from the death of his sister, trying to outpace his feelings/mourning for her, the love of his life in every way imaginable. He struggles with how we slowly, terribly begin to forget those who are dead, even those closest to us, and everything verges on meaningless interaction/action, but Western ultimately elevates his sorrow to levels of transcendence…showing the collective nature of pain. This version of communal understanding and belief opens the novel up to more than just nihilistic uncertainty.
It’s very much a book wrestling with loneliness, suffering, death/impermanence of life, but also of the singularity of joy and the inherently dark nature of intelligence and its applications.
[Review copy provided by AA Knopf]
Here’s a bunch of great quotes from the book:
“You believe that the loss of those you loved has absolved you of all else.” (116)
“A few more years and his grandmother would be gone and the property would be sold and he would never come here again. The time would come when all memory of this place and these people would be stricken from the register of the world.” (177)
“People want to be reimbursed for their pain. They seldom are.” (289)
All of 298.
“We would hardly wish to know ourselves again as once we were and yet we mourn the days.” (310)
“Suffering is a part of the human condition and must be borne. But misery is a choice.” (348)
“I suppose in the end what we have to offer is only what we’ve lost.” (376)
In tandem with this is a woman, Western’s sister (who we know to by dead from suicide), who is in an unknown location/room being lectured at by a mystery creature with very strange friends. We are made to wonder the purpose of these scenes right away. Is she locked away literally or figuratively? Is she schizophrenic and these her hallucinations (eventually, this is confirmed). Is this what’s driving her obsessive need to calculate, to die? These scenes are fairly impenetrable, pedantic, and slow —her need to make sense of a senseless world. That said, the way Cormac is able to slowly lead you to an understanding of her mental illness before fully confirming it is pretty neat.
The first 60-80 pages are slow. I found myself wondering if I was in the hands of a master or in the hands of a former master struggling get it back, and this is a feeling that I would totter between for the entire novel.
As the narrative progresses Western goes on the run after he notices that he’s being tracked by the government or, at least, by some shadow organization. While doing this, he has various run-ins with friends and family.
Mostly, through these run-ins, we come to learn that he’s running from the death of his sister, trying to outpace his feelings/mourning for her, the love of his life in every way imaginable. He struggles with how we slowly, terribly begin to forget those who are dead, even those closest to us, and everything verges on meaningless interaction/action, but Western ultimately elevates his sorrow to levels of transcendence…showing the collective nature of pain. This version of communal understanding and belief opens the novel up to more than just nihilistic uncertainty.
It’s very much a book wrestling with loneliness, suffering, death/impermanence of life, but also of the singularity of joy and the inherently dark nature of intelligence and its applications.
[Review copy provided by AA Knopf]
Here’s a bunch of great quotes from the book:
“You believe that the loss of those you loved has absolved you of all else.” (116)
“A few more years and his grandmother would be gone and the property would be sold and he would never come here again. The time would come when all memory of this place and these people would be stricken from the register of the world.” (177)
“People want to be reimbursed for their pain. They seldom are.” (289)
All of 298.
“We would hardly wish to know ourselves again as once we were and yet we mourn the days.” (310)
“Suffering is a part of the human condition and must be borne. But misery is a choice.” (348)
“I suppose in the end what we have to offer is only what we’ve lost.” (376)
Merged review:
Right away McCarthy presents mystery on top of mystery, one earthly the other spiritual. A plane crashes into the Gulf of Mexico and a passenger and flight info are missing. Enter Bobby Western who works the site for salvage and gets wrapped up in the conspiracy of what’s not there.
In tandem with this is a woman, Western’s sister (who we know to by dead from suicide), who is in an unknown location/room being lectured at by a mystery creature with very strange friends. We are made to wonder the purpose of these scenes right away. Is she locked away literally or figuratively? Is she schizophrenic and these her hallucinations (eventually, this is confirmed). Is this what’s driving her obsessive need to calculate, to die? These scenes are fairly impenetrable, pedantic, and slow —her need to make sense of a senseless world. That said, the way Cormac is able to slowly lead you to an understanding of her mental illness before fully confirming it is pretty neat.
The first 60-80 pages are slow. I found myself wondering if I was in the hands of a master or in the hands of a former master struggling get it back, and this is a feeling that I would totter between for the entire novel.
As the narrative progresses Western goes on the run after he notices that he’s being tracked by the government or, at least, by some shadow organization. While doing this, he has various run-ins with friends and family.
Mostly, through these run-ins, we come to learn that he’s running from the death of his sister, trying to outpace his feelings/mourning for her, the love of his life in every way imaginable. He struggles with how we slowly, terribly begin to forget those who are dead, even those closest to us, and everything verges on meaningless interaction/action, but Western ultimately elevates his sorrow to levels of transcendence…showing the collective nature of pain. This version of communal understanding and belief opens the novel up to more than just nihilistic uncertainty.
It’s very much a book wrestling with loneliness, suffering, death/impermanence of life, but also of the singularity of joy and the inherently dark nature of intelligence and its applications.
[Review copy provided by AA Knopf]
Here’s a bunch of great quotes from the book:
“You believe that the loss of those you loved has absolved you of all else.” (116)
“A few more years and his grandmother would be gone and the property would be sold and he would never come here again. The time would come when all memory of this place and these people would be stricken from the register of the world.” (177)
“People want to be reimbursed for their pain. They seldom are.” (289)
All of 298.
“We would hardly wish to know ourselves again as once we were and yet we mourn the days.” (310)
“Suffering is a part of the human condition and must be borne. But misery is a choice.” (348)
“I suppose in the end what we have to offer is only what we’ve lost.” (376)
Merged review:
Right away McCarthy presents mystery on top of mystery, one earthly the other spiritual. A plane crashes into the Gulf of Mexico and a passenger and flight info are missing. Enter Bobby Western who works the site for salvage and gets wrapped up in the conspiracy of what’s not there.
In tandem with this is a woman, Western’s sister (who we know to by dead from suicide), who is in an unknown location/room being lectured at by a mystery creature with very strange friends. We are made to wonder the purpose of these scenes right away. Is she locked away literally or figuratively? Is she schizophrenic and these her hallucinations (eventually, this is confirmed). Is this what’s driving her obsessive need to calculate, to die? These scenes are fairly impenetrable, pedantic, and slow —her need to make sense of a senseless world. That said, the way Cormac is able to slowly lead you to an understanding of her mental illness before fully confirming it is pretty neat.
The first 60-80 pages are slow. I found myself wondering if I was in the hands of a master or in the hands of a former master struggling get it back, and this is a feeling that I would totter between for the entire novel.
As the narrative progresses Western goes on the run after he notices that he’s being tracked by the government or, at least, by some shadow organization. While doing this, he has various run-ins with friends and family.
Mostly, through these run-ins, we come to learn that he’s running from the death of his sister, trying to outpace his feelings/mourning for her, the love of his life in every way imaginable. He struggles with how we slowly, terribly begin to forget those who are dead, even those closest to us, and everything verges on meaningless interaction/action, but Western ultimately elevates his sorrow to levels of transcendence…showing the collective nature of pain. This version of communal understanding and belief opens the novel up to more than just nihilistic uncertainty.
It’s very much a book wrestling with loneliness, suffering, death/impermanence of life, but also of the singularity of joy and the inherently dark nature of intelligence and its applications.
[Review copy provided by AA Knopf]
Here’s a bunch of great quotes from the book:
“You believe that the loss of those you loved has absolved you of all else.” (116)
“A few more years and his grandmother would be gone and the property would be sold and he would never come here again. The time would come when all memory of this place and these people would be stricken from the register of the world.” (177)
“People want to be reimbursed for their pain. They seldom are.” (289)
All of 298.
“We would hardly wish to know ourselves again as once we were and yet we mourn the days.” (310)
“Suffering is a part of the human condition and must be borne. But misery is a choice.” (348)
“I suppose in the end what we have to offer is only what we’ve lost.” (376)