Initial Impressions: Child of God, by Cormac McCarthy - June 2021

[Tom, "Big Daddy"]

Comments on this board should be written with the assumption that not all readers have finished the book. Please avoid revealing any spoilers.

[Laura, "The Tall Woman"]

I thought I had read this 2 times. I was confused with his book Outer Dark. I will likely do a reread by Hoopla audio. This one is skin crawling good. But not for the faint or squeamish. Hoopla also has the movie.

[Tom, "Big Daddy"]

That's another one of his I haven't read.

[Diane, "Miss Scarlett"]

I have read this before, so won't reread, but Laura is right....it's skin crawling good. I didn't realize there was a movie.

[Diane, "Miss Scarlett"]

Wait, I'm wrong. I think I was thinking of Outer Dark too. I am going to fit this in somehow.

[Laura, "The Tall Woman"]

Diane think William Gay’s Twilight but a little more intense.

[Diane, "Miss Scarlett"]

Wow!

[Tom, "Big Daddy"]

Holy crap! I just read a synopsis of Outer Dark. That is one seriously dark book. Anyway, I'll be reading this as soon as I finish an ARC that I'm reading,

[Candi]

I just finished Outer Dark a few days ago and told myself I need to wait a bit before reading more McCarthy. But I'm not so sure I can resist!! Let's see what happens this month!

[Diane, "Miss Scarlett"]

I'm going to get started on Lonesome Dove first and read this one at the end of the month. It's been a while since I read McCarthy. I do hope you join us Candi.

[Candi]

If I end up reading it, I will aim for the end of the month as well. That will give me a little breather between his dark tales!

[Laura, "The Tall Woman"]

Provinces of Night.....William Gay’s title of his book.

[Laura, "The Tall Woman"]

Reference: Sevier County id home to Dolly Parton in East TN. Smoky Mountain National Park if you need another reference.

It borders Knox county which is knoxville that Cormac lived when a much younger man.

My grandmother is from sevier county and her mother was a Fox. Foxes store is mentioned so he’s using names that are legit to the area.

[Tom, "Big Daddy"]

More reference: There are several references to Whitecaps and Blue Bills that made little sense to me. This link at Piddlin.com provided a lot of context. The White Caps sound a lot like a variant of the Klan.

White Caps and Blue Bills

[Laura, "The Tall Woman"]

Interesting, I’ve never heard or read anything about this.

[Laura, "The Tall Woman"]

https://www.asylumprojects.org/index....

[Laura, "The Tall Woman"]

This is Lyons View mentioned at end of book.

[Tom, "Big Daddy"]

I can't help wondering if there is a kernel of truth in this story. I'd hate to think that it sprang unbidden from the mind of Cormac McCarthy.

[Laura, "The Tall Woman"]

Tom…..I had exact same thought. I think we’ve seen other authors use Ballard as a template for some of their characters. David Joy’s The Line that Held Us and Michael Farris Smith’s Blackwood come to mind.

https://www.concordmonitor.com/Archiv...

[LA]

Y’all know that some of this is based on true life events, right? Check out the Lula Lake Murders after you’ve finished. McCarthy was living, I dunno, maybe three hours away at the the time and surely was inundated w info from horror stricken local news. See what you think after.

[Tom, "Big Daddy"]

I haven't heard of that. I'll have to check it out.

[LA]

One odd little phrase I caught early on and forgot to note was that he used the term provinces of night - was this an homage to William Gay?

MF Smith does this regularly within his own books relative to the titles of his previous stuff. I very vaguely recall other Southern gothic-ish writers inserting these type Easter eggs but am drawing a blank right now. Anybody??

[Laura, "The Tall Woman"]

I mentioned that as well in above thread but I think William Gay payed homage to Cormac. Child of God was written in 1973 and Gay's book 2002.

I mentioned MFS and David Joy in above comments as authors I think could have modeled some characters after Cormac's. I'm pretty sure I read an article from David Joy saying this.

[Laura, "The Tall Woman"]

Maybe not an article, but go to David Joy's own review of his book The Line That Held Us. He mentions using cormac and Gay as a inspiration for his character.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Diane, "Miss Scarlett"]

Starting today.

[Diane, "Miss Scarlett"]

This is like watching a train wreck, but I can't turn away.

[Laura, "The Tall Woman"]

William gays twilight on steroids.

[Candi]

Diane wrote: "This is like watching a train wreck, but I can't turn away."

I'm boarding the train tomorrow. Or tonight, if I can't help myself ;)

[Sara]

Started this one on audio and quickly switched over to reading. I am never going to be an audio listener. I need to stop trying. I'm with you, Diane...it is almost painful, but I have no intention of stopping.

[Diane, "Miss Scarlett"]

I would not want to listen to this even if I were an audio fan. Candi, this is a quick read, just 200 pages. I could have finished the entire book yesterday, but stopped at part 3. My brain can only handle so much insanity at once.

[Laura, "The Tall Woman"]

I first read the book but second go around was audio. I liked both but sometimes listening was harder to stomach because of the details. I was able to handle the graphic nature better when I read. Cringe-worthy read.

[Diane, "Miss Scarlett"]

That's what I would be afraid of Laura, those graphic details.

[Laura, "The Tall Woman"]

When got too bad I stopped audio and gave myself a break.

[Candi]

I sampled several pages just this morning. The very first sentence had a creepy feel to it :D And McCarthy had to throw in a snake for good measure - ack! I know it will get much worse than this, however ;)

[Diane, "Miss Scarlett"]

Just wait Candi. Just wait.......

[Sara]

Yes, that snake will seem like a friendly encounter just a few chapters later. I did have to look up "whitecapping". I was surprised that I had not ever heard the term before, the practice, of course, I was familiar with.

[Lori]

Ok, I don't know whether this conversation is scaring me into reading this or just plain intriguing me! I had to know, so picked it up at the library today.

[Sara]

Unbelievably, I found a moment of humor in this book. I laughed at (view spoiler)[the story of the Trantham boy and the stubborn oxen he built the fire under. I think that was the only moment of lightness I found in the whole book. (hide spoiler)]

[Sara]

I can definitely see Gay reflected in this, and I also thought of Michael Farris Smith's Rivers: A Novel and Desperation Road.

[Laura, "The Tall Woman"]

Sara have you read MFS’s Blackwood? That one felt familiar especially towards the end of CoG.

[Sara]

Yes! That was the one I was specifically trying to think of, Laura. Thank you. An obvious similarity, although a very different and original book in itself. The best kind of being inspired by another writer.

[Sara]

Welcome, Lori. I plan to sleep with the light on tonight.

[Diane, "Miss Scarlett"]

I found a little humor here and there, mostly with Lester's dealing with shopkeepers. And when he was in jail with the black man.
"All the trouble I ever was in, said Ballard, was caused by whisky or women or both. He'd often heard men say as much.
All the trouble I ever was in was caused by getting caught, said the black."

[Diane, "Miss Scarlett"]

Enter at your own risk Lori.

[Sara]

Yes, Diane, you are right. It was subtle humor, but any moment of release was needed. Even the humor had tragedy at its base...in your example they were in jail and the black man was about to be executed, and in mine the kid almost lost his legs over his stupidity.

[Candi]

Ok, yes. This did get much worse than a snake, just as I anticipated! :D

[Cathrine ☯️]

Oh my. I wanted to see what you were all up to. Honestly I was afraid you would persuade me to try this and I'm feeling like Lorie!
I love MFS and also The Line that Held Us.
Can I handle this???????

[Laura, "The Tall Woman"]

Cathrine you are somewhat primed…..go for it.

[Diane, "Miss Scarlett"]

Have you read McCarthy before Cathrine? This might not be the place to start, but you can certainly handle it. By the time you realize exactly what's happening, you're in too deep and have to continue.

[Sara]

You can, Cathrine. It is brutal, but somehow very readable. If you like MFS and Gay, you have the gonads for it, as my father used to say.