With “Stella Maris,” the novelist unloads the second volley in the double-barreled publication of two paired novels this fall.
but it offers a new angle on her strange, luminous mind. In the first book, we saw Alicia’s troubling hallucinations as they appeared to her—as bizarre but undeniably real beings. Inwe have a more external view of Alicia. Her inner life is not dramatized, only described in exchanges with a therapist whose sympathy cannot entirely conceal his bewilderment at many of her comments about her mind and the world.
The gulf that separates them reflects more than just her intellectual supremacy. She has also experienced depths of mental anguish that she claims as the basis for special insight. “There’s data in the world available only to those who have reached a certain level of wretchedness. You don’t know what’s down there if you haven’t been down there,” she says. The novel itself is in some ways an attempt to convey just what it is that’s “down there.
The nature of this “something” that the hallucinations might be keeping at bay remains ominously vague. In fact, its unrepresentability may be an essential feature. Describing her dreams, she says, “I never saw monsters. Creatures going around carrying their heads. I always sensed that the worst of it transcended representation. You couldn’t put together something for them to look like. You didn’t have the parts.
Perhaps strangely, given this misery, she is also a delightful conversationalist. She banters, jokes, speculates, reveals, and conceals. McCarthy manages to wring suspense, poignance, and genuine intellectual interest from a story built from dialogue alone. It’s not the first time he’s done this.. Both consist entirely of conversation between two characters with starkly opposed experiences of the world. Both feature a character on the verge of suicide.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
A complete, opinionated reader's guide to Cormac McCarthy's novelsThe author's 12th novel, 'Stella Maris,' publishes on Tuesday. It's high time for a complete reader's guide to the Western novelist, from 'The Crossing' to 'The Passenger.'
Read more »
Willow Smith Goes Edgy in Stella McCartney Blazer and Cutout Pants at “Emancipation” PremiereThe songstress attended the movie premiere for her father’s new film, which will be released on Apple TV+ Dec. 9.
Read more »
14 Movies That Break Taboos For Women In RelationshipsFrom Netflix’s From Scratch to classics like The Proposal and How Stella Got Her Groove Back.
Read more »
Suspect in Vegas strip stabbings deemed unfit for trialIf he is found competent, Yoni Christian Barrios faces two counts of murder and six counts of attempted murder in the attack, which killed Maris DiGiovanni, 30, and Brent Allan Hallett, 46.
Read more »
Novel Brewing in Oakland closes, Tenma Beer Project to move inThe book-themed brewery’s last day will be December 11.
Read more »
Michelle Wong Sells Graphic Novel Terminal Hope at Auction for 2026Two years ago, Michelle Wong of Hongkonger, Drew Tomboy, Goosebumps and The Legend of Korra: Ruins of the Empire posted on Instagram, 'Happy new year! If 2020 has taught me anything, it's to not have too many expectations of things beyond my control. My goals this year are simply to make progress and do work that […]\n
Read more »