notsarcastic 's review for:

No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy

4.25

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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A punchy, blood-soaked novel with each character having their unique voice and story that perfectly intertwine and drive the plot along at a good pace. McCarthy pulls absolutely no punches when it comes to his prose. It's sparse, concise, brutal and sharp. I quickly forgot the lack of punctuation such as speechmarks because McCarthy masterfully makes each character's voice clear. Dialogue tags are done away with, and the novel thrives as a result. It also really shines a light on how well the film adapts the novel's tone and darkness. The deviations are few, but ultimately improve the work. Bell's musing on life stand in stark contrast to Chigurh's complete lack of empathy, despite large parts of the novels being told from his persepctive, the reader is put in the same position as Bell: We don't truly understand why violence is so common, or even exists at all. We just need to accept it does. Moss is a direct result of misunderstanding that. He tries to do good, to help himself and his family and fight back against Chigurh's evil. The thanks for his hope is only

death

. A true balance between a novel that thrills and horrifies, while forcing us to confront our own humanity. It leaves bood on the reader's hands that refuse to be washed long after the book is read.