My introduction to Cormac McCarthy was his 2006 novel The Road. McCarthy’s evocative story of a father and son surviving the apocalypse was a treat; I often recommend it to anyone with an interest in apocalyptic or horror genres.
My time with McCarthy on the first go-around left me wanting more of his work. As such, I started one of his most well-known novels: 1985’s Blood Meridian; or, The Evening Redness in the West. In this anti-western, we follow the Kid as he joins a band of outlaws during the start of the Wild West, wreaking Hell in the Southwestern US and Northern Mexico.
McCarthy has no heroes in Blood Meridian; the characters are either cruelty-manifested or victims. Hunting Native Americans and selling their scalps for bounties are the introductory sadistic tendencies of the outlaws depicted in the novel, and for serious reasons; McCarthy de-romanticizes the Wild West, showing its ugly and bloody nakedness by continually desensitizing the audience to the cruelty of mankind — a theme returned to in The Road. Only facing the callous depravity of individuals and in-groups can do this, but many readers will certainly be turned off by grotesque descriptions. I will not blame you if Blood Meridian is not for you.
I, for one, can respect the narrative McCarthy crafts, especially the handful of characters that really shine. The Kid receives most of his characterization at the beginning and end, becoming a vessel for the audience to exist in, and, in turn, grow desensitized through. Judge Holden, Blood Meridian’s most famous character, is equally intelligent as he is brutal, and wise as he is evil. Whether the devil or just a man, readers will confront McCarthy’s most enigmatic conversations through Holden. However, the other characters are little more than gross actions with names — cardboard cutouts used to depict villainy.
McCarthy’s bare-bones, nearly stream-of-consciousness style of writing is also difficult to follow and can leave narrative moments with little time to breathe. A style I found so enjoyable in The Road for its benefit to tone is truthfully my biggest complaint in Blood Meridian, rushing me before I could familiarize myself with settings or minor characters.
Although I enjoyed it for its unique craft, Blood Meridian will most likely not be a book I return to. Your mileage, however, may vary — several of my friends felt satisfied whereas I did not.
“Under the (Hard) Covers is an opinion column by Ethan Reisler — a published author, satirist, and journalist — reviewing modern and classic novels alike for their craft, storytelling, and general enjoyability.”