It was emotionally unsettling and exhausting but I never read anything lime this before. Truely a masterpiece and maybe because reading it changed me a lot and that change was soo sudden that I was in shock. I had my fill for the whole year. Previously I read No Country for Old Men and I think it's enough Mccarthy for me. Any suggestions for me what should I read next?
by HassanKazmi007
4 Comments
I went from Blood Meridian straight into The Grapes of Wrath. I know that sounds odd, but despite the shared sense of a journey, it felt like a surprisingly smooth and far less shocking reentry into “normal” literature.
I know you said no more McCarthy but when you’re ready to have your heart torn into a million pieces go back and read The Road.
If you’re looking for some other fiction that is still amazing writing but not quite as emotionally devastating check out Dennis Lehane. Shutter Island is a good start.
If you feel like you want more McCarthy later this year, the obvious pick is The Road, but I’d recommend Suttree! It’s still McCarthy, but I found it much easier reading than Blood Meridian, emotionally.
As another McCarthy lover, my recommendations depend on whether you want lighter reads or to keep with the heavy stuff. If you want lighter, try some William Gibson. Neuromancer is a classic of a total different genre, but has a lot of very similar writing tics.
If you’re into fantasy at all, Gene Wolfe is another great pull. The Book of the New Sun series deals with a lot of surprisingly similar themes to a lot of McCarthy, but made me want to weep slightly less. Personally I found the (incredibly rampant) misogyny made it difficult for me to appreciate the books, but when there WASN’T a woman on the page, I had an incredible time.
For a challenge, I’d recommend The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy. Couldn’t be more different from McCarthy content wise, while also being a contemporary novel contending with social violence, and the flaws of the author’s home. A heartbreaking book that absolutely came as a revelation to me.
Moby Dick. It’s one of the inspirations for Blood Meridian.