by Cormac McCarthy

isbn: 0679744398
subject: Fiction and Literature
finished: 10/17/1999

John Grady Cole is the last of a long line of Texas ranchers. His father returned from the Second World War a broken man, and his mother isn't interested in him. After his grandfather's death he heads to Mexico with his friend Rawlins; there they discover some harsh realities about the world.

Unlike Blood Meridian, which is more of a parable, All the Pretty Horses is a real novel. Still, it requires careful reading. McCarthy's descriptions make even mundane situations feel surreal, and he leaves the reader to sound out untranslated Spanish conversations, or to infer their meaning from context. Like the world they inhabit, his characters are a mystery -- we seldom get a good look at what's going on inside. McCarthy is an amazing writer and this is a great book -- highly recommended.