I’m sorry, but Suttree is just one of those books you just have to share…
Leonard’s just out of the workhouse where he spent some time when they found out about his father. Yep, the old man surfaced, dragging his chains up with him. And this is where both the story and the writer get to me. The story makes me laugh; McCarthy makes me ashamed of my own writing.
Leonard finds Suttree and asks him seriously if they can repossess his father’s grave because his mother’s gotten three payments behind on it. Now that’s funny.
Anywhere else, written by anyone else, this would be unbelievable. But I am so used to Suttree’s world, a witch’s brew of odd characters perpetually living hard lives and hitting even worse luck as they go along, that this is totally within the realm of the reality of this story. McCarthy has innoculated me against incredulity, and yet gives me booster shots of conflicts that can still surprise me.
The Lost Children: A Charity Anthology
I may just have to visit this world of Suttree – it sounds as if I’d fit right in there!
Enjoyed your twist of words while describing the (reluctant, yet anticipated) journey. Sometimes your tender use of just the right word still catches me unawares, and I find myself mystified all over again. This is why it is so easy to believe your fulfilling journey through Suttree. You live it.
Thanks for commenting the other day. I must come back here when more at leisure to check out the vast corpus of references and your personal pieces. The work of a serious, literary-minded person! That’s got to be better than countless hours of “Seinfeld” and “Everybody Loves Raymond” watching. 😉
n–you’re always so complimentary and encouraging, and in fact, the way you put a compliment is a work of incredibly good writing in itself! And yes, you should read Suttree because I think you’ll enjoy it. McCarthy’s writing takes some getting used to, but you have the depth of understanding and appreciation of language that would revel in the words.
Mark–I always read your blog through Bloglines, and comment when it seems appropriate or have something to say. You’ve made my day–“a serious, literary-minded person!” Thank you! It’s funny though, Seinfeld and Everybody Loves Raymond–the latter in particular–are two of my favorite comedy shows.