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

[Cathrine ☯️]

I've ordered it from the library though Laura's "somewhat primed for it" has me a little concerned 😉
It's a testament to how highly I respect you guys that I'm willing to give it a go.

[Lori]

I'm going to start today, Catherine! I think after reading MFS and Donald Ray Pollock as well as David Joy, we should be ok. I have yet to read William Gay yet.

[Laura, "The Tall Woman"]

Yes, throw DRP in mix and you can definitely attempt it. 😉

[Laura, "The Tall Woman"]

Y’all if you want to see some humor, look at our profile pics of those reading this book. Minus Tom we look pretty feminine and “normal” but here we are reading child of god and to take it up a notch, we are actually admitting we are reading it and seem to like it and discussing it. 💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻

[Laura, "The Tall Woman"]

And if confused, let’s refer back to Sara’s father’s saying😂😂

[Diane, "Miss Scarlett"]

Right on Laura! We who are without gonads seem to be relishing it. I cannot imagine how they could make a movie of this, but not sure I want to see it.

[Cathrine ☯️]

I think you have them Diane. If I'm not mistaken, gonads refer to the sexual organs of both male and females? I better go look.

Tom I read the article about the Whitecaps and the Bluebills. Very interesting. The Whitecaps sound like the 1800s version of the Salem witch hunters.

[Sara]

Okay, another off the wall comment, but I kept humming and searching my mind for this title in a song. I was sure it was there and then it came to me...Woodstock.

"I came upon a Child of God, he was walking along the road, I ask him where he was going, this he told me..."

Gonads might be technically male or female, but it was equivalent to Daddy of the saying "having the balls" to do something. I think "gonads" got him around Mama.

[Diane, "Miss Scarlett"]

That's how I was interpreting that saying Sara. But now I've got to check.

[Diane, "Miss Scarlett"]

Both sexes have them. Female gonads are ovaries, male gonads are testicles, so Cathrine is right.

[Laura, "The Tall Woman"]

Catherine is correct but I knew exactly what your daddy was implying.

[Candi]

Laura wrote: "Y’all if you want to see some humor, look at our profile pics of those reading this book. Minus Tom we look pretty feminine and “normal” but here we are reading child of god and to take it up a not..."

Maybe us tame-looking, housewifely/motherly/domesticated women types are actually sicker than that bastard Lester Ballard!! :D :D I mean, just maybe he has an excuse, but what is ours?!! ;)

[Laura, "The Tall Woman"]

We know when a book is well done even if the material is down right sick!!!! Was it diane who mentioned a train wreck?! I’m on my phone so can’t verify, but can’t look away.

[Candi]

Laura wrote: "We know when a book is well done even if the material is down right sick!!!! Was it diane who mentioned a train wreck?! I’m on my phone so can’t verify, but can’t look away."

Yes, we do know, Laura! It's hard to top McCarthy's writing :)

It was Diane that likened this to a train wreck, and I have to agree :D

[Cathrine ☯️]

Power to the ovaries!

[Laura, "The Tall Woman"]

Y’all are making me laugh!!! Tshirts anyone? “Power to the ovaries” 😂

[Cathrine ☯️]

Just notified it's waiting for me to pick it up. Now I just need to summon the power of O to brave picking it up and start reading.

[Lori]

I read 60 pages last night. Scrunched up my face a few times. You can do it Catherine!

[Laura, "The Tall Woman"]

Scrunch up your face and pull up the shoulders was pretty much the position for most of the book.

The movie is on hoopla for those that have that capability.

[LA]

“Whatever voice spoke to him was no demon but some old shed self that came yet from time to time in the name of sanity, a hand to gentle him back from the rim of his disastrous wrath.”

When a writer can allow us to hold an unraveling string of insanity and still glimpse the person, or really the child who once had promise, that is a powerful skill. I know “grotesques” are fave characters written by many southern authors, and they generally turn my stomach. Still, these mad people intrigue me more than most others who are written into stories. When we can find pity for characters who act as monsters, the author has really succeeded.

I’m doing this as an audio and surprisingly am able to follow who is who. Well narrated.

[Sara]

Laura wrote: "Scrunch up your face and pull up the shoulders was pretty much the position for most of the book.

The movie is on hoopla for those that have that capability."

Oh God NO. I draw the line at watching this. The visuals in my head are absolutely as far as I am willing to go.

[Laura, "The Tall Woman"]

Sara…. You are cracking me up. I had the same experience with DRP’s The Devil all the Time. Hubby finally convinced me to watch the movie but it was rough.

[Lori]

Well I just passed the 90 page mark and definitely don’t want that image on the screen!
Laura, I read The Devil all the Time and never watched the movie. Maybe that was a good thing?

[Laura, "The Tall Woman"]

I’m not a big movie person. Usually I am very satisfied with the book and rarely see need for movie. Shawshank redemption was better movie than book and the green Mile was equally as good as book.

[Sara]

I'm also not as big on movies as books. I rarely watch a movie before reading the book. Out of Africa and Dr. Zhivago come to mind as movies that were equal to the book, however, in both cases they could easily have been entirely different stories than the books they purported to record. I'll be sure to avoid The Devil All the Time, Laura. :D

[Laura, "The Tall Woman"]

Out of Africa❤️❤️❤️

[Diane, "Miss Scarlett"]

I'm not going to watch this or Devil All the Time. Don't need the visuals. I saw No Country for Old Men on the big screen years ago, and it scared me to death. Will read the book later this year, and Javier Bardem will be in my mind.

[LA]

The term “he went on” and “up the road” and “down the road” are used over and over. For the Life of me, I cannot remember whether it was oh William Gay book or a McCarthy book that did this too. Or another writer who did this later as an homage?

Is anybody reading on Kindle and thus able to see how many times these are used? It’s a lovely touch that I’m positive we’ve seen before but cannot recall where. Enjoying the lyrical aspects of this disturbing read.

[LA]

Found it!
It’s The Lost Country by William Gay. There is repeated use of the term “he went on.”

So, is this another homage of his to McCarthy (as Laura pointed out, Child of God with its comment about provinces of night was written well before Gay’s book) or… because the Lost Country was basically patched together by a bunch of William Gay‘s friends after he died (after finding his various notes dumped in a big Tupperware container or two in the attic) did THEY decide to use the repetitive term?

Sorry. Sometimes it is not just the content of the book but the authors process in writing it that intrigues me.

[Tom, "Big Daddy"]

LeAnne: wrote: "Sorry. Sometimes it is not just the content of the book but the authors process in writing it that intrigues me.."

It's great to have you active in the group again!

[Candi]

Oh, I don't think there's anyway in hell I'll watch this on the screen! I'm in the last stretch and am peeking at the pages through my hands!!

[Cathrine ☯️]

OMG, you guys are killing me.
I assume you will all be available for group counseling when I'm done?

[Diane, "Miss Scarlett"]

Of course Cathrine. We specialize in southern trauma.

[Laura, "The Tall Woman"]

What that means is Diane will nominate another book similar to this one just so you don’t get comfortable. Treat southern lit trauma with more southern lit trauma.

[Sara]

The only counseling I feel qualified to offer is the darkness from the book might permeate your nights, so lock all your doors at night and sleep with the light on to keep it at bay. Oh, and a bit of advice--never, ever park in a deserted place with anyone, anytime for any reason.

[Cathrine ☯️]

SLT Southern Literary Trail
SLT Southern Literary Trauma
When letters say so much ..... 😄🤣

[LA]

@Tom - thank you! Since the old right eye went wonky a couple years back, audios (and my particularly lousy dictation to Siri) are hurdles I’m glad to jump. Nice to participate again :)

[Tom, "Big Daddy"]

LeAnne: wrote: "@Tom - thank you! Since the old right eye went wonky a couple years back, audios (and my particularly lousy dictation to Siri) are hurdles I’m glad to jump. Nice to participate again :)"

It's my left eye that is failing me. Fortunately, between the two of us we have one good set of peepers.

[LA]

@ Tom - we’re twins!!!