Blood Meridian

Blood Meridian • Cormac McCarthy

⭑ 5.2 Stars

This was a difficult novel to rate, but it also felt difficult to get through, which is why I scored it on the lower end of the spectrum. While it is one of McCarthy’s more famous efforts and is filled with his trademark (oftentimes morbid) detail, this novel lacked a traditional narrative arc that would have eased the gruesome nature of the story itself. Instead, the reader is presented with a seemingly endless string of jump scenes that individually present a realistic view of the brutal landscape in early America, but collectively produce little progress for the central character or the people encounters on his journey.