Child of God (Vintage International)
From the bestselling author of The Passenger and the Pulitzer Prize–winning novel The Road • In this taut, chilling story, Lester Ballard—a violent, dispossessed man falsely accused of rape—haunts the hill country of East Tennessee when he is released from jail.
While telling his story, Cormac McCarthy depicts the most sordid aspects of life with dignity, humor, and characteristic lyrical brilliance.
"Like the novelists he admires-Melville, Dostoyevsky, Faulkner-Cormac McCarthy has created an imaginative oeuvre greater and deeper than any single book. Such writers wrestle with the gods themselves." —Washington Post
While telling his story, Cormac McCarthy depicts the most sordid aspects of life with dignity, humor, and characteristic lyrical brilliance.
"Like the novelists he admires-Melville, Dostoyevsky, Faulkner-Cormac McCarthy has created an imaginative oeuvre greater and deeper than any single book. Such writers wrestle with the gods themselves." —Washington Post
BUY THE BOOK
Join a book club that is reading Child of God (Vintage International)!
Community Reviews
While it may not be McCarthy’s best novel, “Child of God” is still a haunting portrait of a man with no regard for anybody but himself, depicting the heinous things that people are capable of. It’s a lyrical piece, common for McCarthy, and is as dark as the night sky. It’s an interesting and captivating story, but doesn’t quite hit the highs that his other work has touched. Regardless, even a “weaker” novel from McCarthy is astounding in its own right, proving yet again why he was as renowned of an author as he was.
Man, I just love the way Cormac McCarthy writes.
It's sparse yet lush. Gorgeous yet horrific. I know he's not everyone's cup of tea, but I can't get enough.
Lester Ballard is a horrible creature of a man (or rather a "Child of God") who does horrible things, yet there were times I felt sorry for him. Was he purely born this way or did severe isolation and loneliness and mistreatment contribute? This is a great character study on a character that may make your skin crawl a bit. He slowly goes from being a man to being...something much more primitive. One thing I appreciated is that while there are some gruesome and deplorable things happening, nothing felt like it was dropped in just for shock value. There is also a plot here, but often something happens so quickly and in so few words that you could almost miss it. This author makes every. single. word. count.
If you aren't a fan of McCarthy or detest his writing style (sorry, quotations are for sissies), this probably won't change your mind. For his fans, you'll probably eat this up with a spoon (better to eat this up than brains, amirite?).
4 Stars
It's sparse yet lush. Gorgeous yet horrific. I know he's not everyone's cup of tea, but I can't get enough.
Lester Ballard is a horrible creature of a man (or rather a "Child of God") who does horrible things, yet there were times I felt sorry for him. Was he purely born this way or did severe isolation and loneliness and mistreatment contribute? This is a great character study on a character that may make your skin crawl a bit. He slowly goes from being a man to being...something much more primitive. One thing I appreciated is that while there are some gruesome and deplorable things happening, nothing felt like it was dropped in just for shock value. There is also a plot here, but often something happens so quickly and in so few words that you could almost miss it. This author makes every. single. word. count.
If you aren't a fan of McCarthy or detest his writing style (sorry, quotations are for sissies), this probably won't change your mind. For his fans, you'll probably eat this up with a spoon (better to eat this up than brains, amirite?).
4 Stars
See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.