If you read most of the accolades concerning or about author Cormac McCarthy, you begin to wonder if everyone has believed the hype that they, themselves have generated. However, it will only take one book for you to know that most of what they say is not hyperbole, but honest summations about the writings of McCarthy. I have only read five McCarthy novels and am not a partaker of vast amounts of books written after 1970, but out of the authors I have had a chance to read, McCarthy is one of the best and when it comes to true, neo-gothic (not Goth) fiction, he may be the best, but as mentioned elsewhere, I'm only an amateur reader.
Outer Dark, his second novel, is no exception. It is simply the story (a very disturbing one at that) of a young woman who bears her brother's child, the brother abandons the newborn in the woods to die in shame and continued evilness, the baby is taken by a tinker, then he (both brother and tinker) flee, and then the mother sets about on a perilous journey through the countryside to find her baby. As with each McCarthy novel I've read there is a very real sense of justice and a dark feeling as a whole that at times becomes heavy and burdensome to the reader. At the same time as the main plot, there is a secondary plot that includes three terrifying and elusive strangers that haunt the same countryside bringing both horror and McCarthy uses them as his swift and terrifying (almost to an Old Testament level) hand of justice.
The book is only 242 pages long, but like the other McCarthy novels that I've read, they stay with you for a long time. He writes in a way where the dialogue feels authentic and real, the scenes are scenes you have either actually observed as well or can imagine, and the reactions and actions of the characters seem to be that of real humans. To me, this story felt like an rugged, southern Appalachian version of Silas Marner without the happy ending, but also was very unique in every way.
McCarthy is oft-compared to William Faulkner and I haven't read enough Faulkner to know if this fits or not, but I do know that currently there are very few writers that can even be, or should be mentioned in the same sentence with him. He and his writing appear to be cut from the same cloth of the American writers of a much earlier time and talent. Each page takes you to places and makes you the reader interact with characters that you will think about long after you have finished the book. I would think it would be nearly impossible to read a McCarthy novel and not find yourself trying to come to terms with yourself and the book as a whole. This to me is real writing. It is not an easy task for either author or reader to partake in.
I won't ruin the ending of the book for you, but only say it is a very good read. His description of the landscapes and persona that dot the southern Appalachians are almost second to none that I've read as of late. I will say that you should use caution when reading McCarthy. It will be neither easy nor will it be one that you can close, put back on the shelf, and never think about again. It will disturb you and cause you to try to solve something mentally that you just won't be allowed to do.
Read away, but show caution,
David
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