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buddhafish 's review for:
Stella Maris
by Cormac McCarthy
12th book of 2023.
A novel, yes, but really a transcript for 200 pages. There's not a single scene description. Occasionally a character offers a cigarette to the other, lights one, but almost every word in this book is dialogue. No tags. No speech marks. All McCarthy.
Looking at the two books now together, I like the structure. I like that we read things here without context but we know, as readers, the context, having read the book before. Which is, so to speak, the book after, chronologically. After a long and golden career, McCarthy plays on the old classic dramatic irony. Not only does the ending of this book leave lots of questions unanswered, it actually gives more answered questions. One of the main ones I have I won't put here, being a spoiler of sorts. It's left me thoughtful. Would I read them both again? Maybe one day. As for all my questions and thoughts: I'll write a spoiler-covered review of both books and get some thoughts flowing there. As for this one, short and sweet. Being a dialogue only book, you can read it in a few hours.
The Passenger review.
Spoilerific Boxset review.
A novel, yes, but really a transcript for 200 pages. There's not a single scene description. Occasionally a character offers a cigarette to the other, lights one, but almost every word in this book is dialogue. No tags. No speech marks. All McCarthy.
Looking at the two books now together, I like the structure. I like that we read things here without context but we know, as readers, the context, having read the book before. Which is, so to speak, the book after, chronologically. After a long and golden career, McCarthy plays on the old classic dramatic irony. Not only does the ending of this book leave lots of questions unanswered, it actually gives more answered questions. One of the main ones I have I won't put here, being a spoiler of sorts. It's left me thoughtful. Would I read them both again? Maybe one day. As for all my questions and thoughts: I'll write a spoiler-covered review of both books and get some thoughts flowing there. As for this one, short and sweet. Being a dialogue only book, you can read it in a few hours.
The Passenger review.
Spoilerific Boxset review.