Book Review

No country for Old Men, by Cormac McCarthy
*** 3 stars

This book was simply too violent for me. Since it's about a serial killer, I guess the killing is kind of indispensable to the plot. Call me a sissy, but I just don't enjoy reading about one grisly murder after another.

If there had been a point to it - like, for example, the violence in the movie "Schindler's List," which reminded us that hope and bravery can survive even the most horrific evil - then I would have plodded through all the killings in the hope of some redemption at the end.

However, the redemption never comes. One is left with more questions than answers, wondering if anything can stop evil. And, according to the rules of the universe McCarthy creates in this book, the answer is "no."

The book moves quickly, is gripping, and for the most part well-written, so I gave it three stars. However, I would not read it again, and have not been able to bring myself to watch the movie.