Woodlands Walk at Harrietsham

Thom

Thom - 21 August 1996 to 10 April 2010

There is no such thing as "just a pet" when you've spent thirteen years with "a pet". Thirteen years is a long time to learn each others habits, form a routine and develop trust. I have spent more time with my cat than possibly any other person - he sat with me through wasted hours of TV, Xbox, Nintendo, sleep and reading. Trying to sum up a relationship like that for a blog post borders on bad taste and will no doubt give some people cause for a snigger. So I'll just say that he will be missed and I hope he realises how much he was loved.

Cormac McCarthy - Child Of God

After reading McCarthy's The Road I knew that I wouldn't enjoy any other subject matter he touched on as much but I was still eager to see if his writing style appealed to me. My second crack at McCarthy was Child of God - the story of Lester Ballard. Ballard is an outcast from society who lives on the fringe and soon finds himself acting in ways unacceptable by society.

The writing style is familiar to The Road - it's bleak yet descriptive. McCarthy manages to be economic with his words yet generous with the detail - which is quite a feat. The story starts without having to build up and it ends just as abruptly. For McCarthy its never about the anticipation of the event - just the event itself. His characters live in the moment and you live with them. It's for that reason that you find yourself almost backing Ballard despite the unspeakable acts he commits. With his punctuation following his own rules its not always free flowing to read at first but you adapt quickly. The conversation pieces didn't work quite as well as The Road - the back and forth of conversation flowed a lot better between the Man and Boy in that book.

Could I recommend Child Of God? Probably not unless you are a McCarthy fan, which it seems I have become. Personally I am finding reading McCarthy like listening to Radiohead. I am not always sure what is being said and why it's being said but the delivery pushes my buttons and appeals to something deep inside. Some people will find the subject matter crass and attention seeking but these are just plot devices that allow us to look into the soul of Lester Ballard - and it's a fascinating view.

Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: Picador (1 Jan 2010)
ISBN-10: 0330510959
ISBN-13: 978-0330510950

Richard Matheson - I Am Legend

Review to follow...

Paperback: 160 pages
Publisher: Gollancz; New Ed edition (21 Jan 1999)
Language English
ISBN-10: 1857988094
ISBN-13: 978-1857988093