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ryanrask 's review for:
Stella Maris
by Cormac McCarthy
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A worthy companion to The Passenger that is a testament to the genius of McCarthy.
While not as strong as The Passenger in my opinion, this book is a great complement to The Passenger by giving more insight into the Juliet (I guess) of this weird love story. The story follows Alice shortly before her suicide referenced in the Passenger and is told through a series of conversations with a psychiatrist writing a paper on her. It is implied that Alice is in Stella Maris (a mental institution) due to the anticipated death of her brother and lover Bobby Western (hence the Romeo and Juliet comparison (I don't know if this is intentional or not, but I wouldn't put it past McCarthy)). The conversations are winding and interesting as the reader and the psychiatrist together attempt to figure out how the genius mind of Alice works. Much like The Passenger this book doesn't give much in the way of answers on a first reading. To truly get to the core of this story multiple duel readings of both novels after having read them sequentially seems necessary.
While offering less in terms of story and variety than The Passenger seeing a geriatric Cormac McCarthy write a genius teenager believably is something to behold. Cormac goes deep into mathematics and philosophy here as a way of examining the unconscious and the foundations of the universe and life. The insights of Alice and by extension McCarthy are riveting and leave me in awe of the mind of the greatest American writer (in my uneducated opinion).
While not as strong as The Passenger in my opinion, this book is a great complement to The Passenger by giving more insight into the Juliet (I guess) of this weird love story. The story follows Alice
While offering less in terms of story and variety than The Passenger seeing a geriatric Cormac McCarthy write a genius teenager believably is something to behold. Cormac goes deep into mathematics and philosophy here as a way of examining the unconscious and the foundations of the universe and life. The insights of Alice and by extension McCarthy are riveting and leave me in awe of the mind of the greatest American writer (in my uneducated opinion).