Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy Book Review

Released: April 1985

Genre: Western, Society

Number of Pages: 353

Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian, released in 1985, is considered one of the great American novels; a nihilistic view of the nation’s slow expansion from the fields of Texas all the way to the San Diego.

In the mid to late 1800s, the western half of the United States is slowly being colonised but the road to civilization is paved with endless bloodshed and suffering. We follow a young teenager known simply as “The Kid”. After running away from home, he tries to scrape together a livelihood and eventually falls in with the infamous John Glanton and his associate Judge Holden. Both are sadistic killers who use violence at every turn to achieve their goals and many pages are dedicated to their twisted worldviews; this speaks to the inherent monstrosities that humans are capable of. Most of the story sees them embarking on long journeys with great danger at every turn.

Blood Meridian is best remembered for its atmosphere and tone. Much like other works from McCarthy, the book is depressing and bleak. By portraying the American Frontier as a cruel and merciless place, it shatters the myth of both manifest destiny and the idealised image seen in Hollywood and other tales. There is little virtue to be found in the lawless wastes as the Glanton gang raids, pillages and scalps every enemy they come across and the Native American tribes fight a vicious war against all who enter their lands. Admittedly, this does result in less development for some characters; The Kid himself is quite elusive. We don’t learn much of his inner thoughts and he is often dwarfed by the antagonists.

No side has clean hands and thanks to some endlessly visceral descriptions, you will feel the savagery throughout. The men pass through villagers devastated by the Apache, witness countless people eking out the barest existence with next to no clothing or means to defend themselves and commit many horrific acts themselves along the way. One plot thread that stood out to me was when the gang enter a larger settlement; hailed as heroes for their brutality, the chaotic decadence leads us to question if anyone in this story can call themselves civilized.

Recommended?

YES: If you can stomach the unrelenting misery, Blood Meridian remains a powerful and singular novel. Sometimes the thick atmosphere does come at the expense of character development, but it’s still a weighty and blood-soaked affair that still holds up forty years later.