No Country for Old Men - Cormac McCarthy

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⭐9/10

This is now my second McCarthy book and I am a believer. What a bold, unique talent he is, and I wish I would have gotten to his stuff earlier. It's everything I like in books, a literary look at big-picture stuff like the nature of violence and greed, the soul of a nation, death and morality, all told in nice prose that can turn on the jets when needed. 

This is also the second book in a row I read which was adapted into an all-time great movie, so I had a bit more context with which to understand it. Unlike the Godfather, I think there is a bit more going on under the surface. Even when a major character basically has a multi-chapter monologue at the end, I still wasn't totally sure what this book was trying to say, but it gives you plenty to think about and I think questions are always more valuable in art than answers. 

I think this book works on a lot of levels with an engrossing plot and vivid characters. Chigurh is an all-time movie villain, but his roots are all here. I think this is a masterclass in character building, getting a full understanding of this embodiment of evil through the things he says to other characters. He's one of those over-the-top characters who are somehow perfectly believable despite being nearly supernatural because of how oddly familiar he feels.  Still, if you read this book for it's engaging plot, you won't be getting most of what it's trying to offer. 

I typically hate any type of monologue in a book like this, but I will say this is the best exception. Bell's discussion of seeing his country grow more violent and unrecognizable is so poignant because I think even he doesn't believe it. History is blood soaked and while we will always have our manners, we will also have evil people in a cold, uncaring world where death and agony can seemingly be arbitrary. It's beautifully written and wonderfully balanced. 

I will need to watch the movie again now. Like with Godfather, it's been a long time and I imagine it'll mean something different this time around. I used audiobook for this one and was the rare book where I would strongly recommend that format because the performance by Tom Stechschulte was outstanding. Great book, and honestly I feel like I can't give it a ten only because I've been giving everything a ten lately. 



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