The Passenger
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- Create Date：2022-11-07 07:51:34
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Cormac McCarthy
- ISBN：1524712396
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Summary
1980， PASS CHRISTIAN， MISSISSIPPI: It is three in the morning when Bobby Western zips the jacket of his wetsuit and plunges from the boat deck into darkness。 His divelight illuminates the sunken jet， nine bodies still buckled in their seats， hair floating， eyes devoid of speculation。 Missing from the crash site are the pilot’s flightbag， the plane’s black box， and the tenth passenger。 But how？ A collateral witness to machinations that can only bring him harm， Western is shadowed in body and spirit – by men with badges; by the ghost of his father， inventor of the bomb that melted glass and flesh in Hiroshima; and by his sister， the love and ruin of his soul。
Traversing the American South， from the garrulous bar rooms of New Orleans to an abandoned oil rig off the Florida coast， The Passenger is a breathtaking novel of morality and science， the legacy of sin， and the madness that is human consciousness。
Traversing the American South， from the garrulous bar rooms of New Orleans to an abandoned oil rig off the Florida coast， The Passenger is a breathtaking novel of morality and science， the legacy of sin， and the madness that is human consciousness。
Reviews
Ryan Pfluger
，
A 3 1/2 star but rounded up。 Always enthralled with his writing but definitely not my favorite。
Jon Coutts
，
The paragraphs are vintage McCarthy， and for a while it seems to be going somewhere， but every time it gets interesting the story backs away into aimless dialogue。 I'm okay with a McCarthy book where not much happens， but this one felt flat。 The paragraphs are vintage McCarthy， and for a while it seems to be going somewhere， but every time it gets interesting the story backs away into aimless dialogue。 I'm okay with a McCarthy book where not much happens， but this one felt flat。 。。。more
John
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Great book
Karen
，
I don’t think I’m smart enough to enjoy this novel。 It produced numerous questions that aren’t answered。I do enjoy the authors purpose and dialog for the most part。
Pat Pujolas
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Can't believe I'm about to type these three letters but: DNF。 Either the author is rusty （after ten years， who wouldn't be） or the editors were too kind/gracious with feedback。 This novel just doesn't pack the punch of McCarthy's earlier works。 The story crawls instead of sings。 The dialogue deviates from the established style， at times reminiscent of No Country for Old Men， at times tripping on cliches。 And the portrayal of mental illness is rudimentary at best。 If you liked The Passenger， send Can't believe I'm about to type these three letters but: DNF。 Either the author is rusty （after ten years， who wouldn't be） or the editors were too kind/gracious with feedback。 This novel just doesn't pack the punch of McCarthy's earlier works。 The story crawls instead of sings。 The dialogue deviates from the established style， at times reminiscent of No Country for Old Men， at times tripping on cliches。 And the portrayal of mental illness is rudimentary at best。 If you liked The Passenger， send me a note。 Because you will LOVE the other books from this author， America's greatest living novelist。 。。。more
Linda Schiller
，
The mutterings of a lost man that goes on forever and ever with unnecessary input that never develops into a real story。 The promo， which speaks of a salvage diver and the findings of the dive are never addressed again。 Very depressing
Shannon
，
Beautiful wordsmithery and devastating as expected。I read this book with a dictionary at hand to look up the obscure （at least to me） references to physics and math。 This also helped me to fully appreciate the wonderful conversations between the protagonist Western and Sheddan （Long John / Mossy Creek） who is as loquacious as Western is terse。 The bar conversations add much needed humor and light to the dark subject matter of this novel。Highly recommended and I am first in line for Stella Maris Beautiful wordsmithery and devastating as expected。I read this book with a dictionary at hand to look up the obscure （at least to me） references to physics and math。 This also helped me to fully appreciate the wonderful conversations between the protagonist Western and Sheddan （Long John / Mossy Creek） who is as loquacious as Western is terse。 The bar conversations add much needed humor and light to the dark subject matter of this novel。Highly recommended and I am first in line for Stella Maris when it arrives at my library。 。。。more
Alex Gonzalez
，
Honor and blessed to be experience a new Cormac in my little life。 Let alone 2！ What can you say？ It's bleak and big and dense。 It's not particularly plotty， but it's a page turner。 It's mostly long winded conversations intercut with sparse action lines， traveling， moving， looking over your shoulder。 It's the fastest I've read any novel and certainly the fastest I've read one of his （which is to say， I'll need to re-read this once or twice more）。 There's so much going on in this book and all the Honor and blessed to be experience a new Cormac in my little life。 Let alone 2！ What can you say？ It's bleak and big and dense。 It's not particularly plotty， but it's a page turner。 It's mostly long winded conversations intercut with sparse action lines， traveling， moving， looking over your shoulder。 It's the fastest I've read any novel and certainly the fastest I've read one of his （which is to say， I'll need to re-read this once or twice more）。 There's so much going on in this book and all the while he's teasing you - laughing at you trying to put the pieces together。 Not because he's outsmarting you， but because all the while he's like， "Don't be upset when it all means nothing。" Random thoughts: If you can get through the first couple sister hallucinations， they start to make more sense and then all of them kinda reveal themselves。 Once halfway through I went back to reread the earlier ones。Bobby on the abandoned oil rig， thinking someone is there with him， was one of the scariest sections of a novel in recent memory。 Just haunting。 Bobby's Vietnam conversation with Oiler was amazing。 I know his anti-style is its own style， but he doesn't get enough credit for how good at dialogue he is。The ending didn't really land with an emotional wallop， but perhaps it's because it was telegraphed the entire time。 There was no way it wasn't gonna end like that。 Could just be me though。 。。。more
Matt
，
Not my favorite。 The opening portion and the last chapter were the tremendous poetic McCarthy that I love， but there was a lot in the middle that was not compelling。 Like， a less interesting Suttree。 I did not like the parts with The Kid at all， so I will be interested to see if there is something in Stella Maris that might grant more value to the Alicia sections。 Still interested in reading articles and analysis about the book， and may be able to revise upward with time。
Jesse
，
Despite some spurts of deceptively scaled-back prose and plot， The Passenger offers some of McCarthy’s most pinpointed observations on the suffering entwined in human experience。 Like Blood Meridian， it is epic and transhistorical。 Like Outer Dark， is is genealogical and biblical。 Like Suttree， it is downright hilarious at times。 Like The Road， it concerns the nature and legacy of humanity when its only practitioners—ourselves—begin to refute its existence。 I anticipate it going down in the ledg Despite some spurts of deceptively scaled-back prose and plot， The Passenger offers some of McCarthy’s most pinpointed observations on the suffering entwined in human experience。 Like Blood Meridian， it is epic and transhistorical。 Like Outer Dark， is is genealogical and biblical。 Like Suttree， it is downright hilarious at times。 Like The Road， it concerns the nature and legacy of humanity when its only practitioners—ourselves—begin to refute its existence。 I anticipate it going down in the ledger as one of McCarthy’s most thought-provoking and exploratory works， and I imagine Stella Maris will only add to the charm。 。。。more
The Fat
，
Probably the least "accessible" McCarthy novel since Suttree; I don't see this one catching on as much as The Cavalry Trilogy or his pair of 2000s novels， but it was still a blast to read。 Probably the funniest McCarthy novel yet （although it was far from a comedy）。 I'm really excited for Stella Maris。 Probably the least "accessible" McCarthy novel since Suttree; I don't see this one catching on as much as The Cavalry Trilogy or his pair of 2000s novels， but it was still a blast to read。 Probably the funniest McCarthy novel yet （although it was far from a comedy）。 I'm really excited for Stella Maris。 。。。more
Lauri
，
I tried to like this， but it just wasn't for me。 I persevered for 9 days and just wasn't up for the chore anymore。 A hodge-podge of random characters， random bits of plot， and lots of confusing conversations where I don't know who is who。 I'm sure there's a story in there， but I couldn't find it。 I tried to like this， but it just wasn't for me。 I persevered for 9 days and just wasn't up for the chore anymore。 A hodge-podge of random characters， random bits of plot， and lots of confusing conversations where I don't know who is who。 I'm sure there's a story in there， but I couldn't find it。 。。。more
Suzie Bull
，
Really intriguing and quite slow burn。 The are passages of conversation which I found quite overstated and went on too long。 Felt like I was left hanging and no really can’t wait to read the companion novel next month。 I hope it will address some unanswered questions and provide closure on some sun-plots。
Aleshanee
，
Ich hab noch keine Ahnung， wie ich das bewerten soll 。。。
Tfalcone
，
Too many bar scenes， too much jumping around。
Sherry
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 What a strange and conflicting book this was。 I nearly dnffed because I just couldn’t adjust to how the book is marketed…deep sea diver discovers odd circumstances in a downed plane which， hello， was a brilliant idea for a story imo…but which ended up being not even really relevant to the story McCarthy wanted to tell， other than to get Western out on the run。 What it seems McCarthy wanted to tell， is what he has been telling us all along。 We are a doomed and sorry excuse for a species， and our What a strange and conflicting book this was。 I nearly dnffed because I just couldn’t adjust to how the book is marketed…deep sea diver discovers odd circumstances in a downed plane which， hello， was a brilliant idea for a story imo…but which ended up being not even really relevant to the story McCarthy wanted to tell， other than to get Western out on the run。 What it seems McCarthy wanted to tell， is what he has been telling us all along。 We are a doomed and sorry excuse for a species， and our doom was spelled out maybe before we even came up with the mathematical equation to blow ourselves to smithereens， and what does the reality of all that really mean？ Western， the main character， who is tragically in love with his dead sister， has an eclectic group of friends that are prone to philosophizing at great length the great questions of the world and it’s inhabitants， and they are sometimes entertaining and sometimes trying to the reader’s patience （at least this was true of mine） They are occasionally insightful， though Western does not seem to be too moved by them which begs the question， what was the point then？ There’s an odd conversation about the Kennedy’s and their assassinations and I wasn’t really sure what to do with it。 Like Western， I wondered， why is this relevant？ But in the middle of all the exchanges of philosophy and meandering conversations， there was the descriptions of life。 Of a man in the act of doing things。 Owning his space through his actions， whether it be the knowledge and activity of diving， or pulling an engine apart and rebuilding it， or drilling in the deep sea。 That the doing of these things are creative， poetic forces in and of themselves and so he patiently writes all the little details of things that may seem inconsequential but are as important as the moments of sharing the big ideas。 He beguiled me with these passages， had me revising my ideas of what the book was really about， which was not about the downed gd plane。 He still writes with a poetic and nearly biblical reverence to language and his writing was breathtakingly beautiful。 When he writes about the stars， or the landscape or love， well， for me， he casts a spell and I am utterly smitten。 Who is there that can write like him？ This isn’t going to be for everybody。 It’s going to be divisive， especially if one is particularly attached to reading the story they thought they were going to get and actually prefer the books they read to have an actual plot。 But， it’s a Cormac McCarthy book。 It was always going to be both more and less than what was expected。 。。。more
Will Holland
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What a treat
Kristina Skinner
，
This was a challenging book to read！ My overall opinion is that it was cryptic， philosophical gibberish。 But I cannot deny that McCarthy is a deep thinker and that there were some profound moments within the muddle。 Maybe I'm not in a place to fully appreciate this book。 I did finish it， to give my respect to an incredible author。 Unfortunately， I didn't enjoy any of it。 This was a challenging book to read！ My overall opinion is that it was cryptic， philosophical gibberish。 But I cannot deny that McCarthy is a deep thinker and that there were some profound moments within the muddle。 Maybe I'm not in a place to fully appreciate this book。 I did finish it， to give my respect to an incredible author。 Unfortunately， I didn't enjoy any of it。 。。。more
Roger DeBlanck
，
The same as McCarthy’s legions of fans， I’ve been waiting a long time for The Passenger。 Over the last decade and a half， I’ve often wondered if its publication might be posthumous， lending to speculation that McCarthy had never reached satisfaction to declare it finished。 Everyone who reveres McCarthy is now posed with assessing whether The Passenger deserves distinction as another “masterpiece” alongside many of his other incomparable works， which tower to some of the greatest heights in Ameri The same as McCarthy’s legions of fans， I’ve been waiting a long time for The Passenger。 Over the last decade and a half， I’ve often wondered if its publication might be posthumous， lending to speculation that McCarthy had never reached satisfaction to declare it finished。 Everyone who reveres McCarthy is now posed with assessing whether The Passenger deserves distinction as another “masterpiece” alongside many of his other incomparable works， which tower to some of the greatest heights in American literary history。Having read every McCarthy work， I would not rank The Passenger among his best， but that’s unfair and irrelevant because who can do what he does？ No one。 That’s the reason I loved The Passenger。 It’s vintage McCarthy: his utilization of transcendent prose with minimal punctuation to meditate on death， grief， despair， loneliness， the struggle of existence， and the incomprehension of the universe。The Passenger gripped and stirred me with intrigue and compassion where my heart was constantly racing about where the narrative was taking me。 Bobby Western， the protagonist， is fascinating。 He’s a salvage diver who has recently examined a plane crashed in the Gulf Coast off New Orleans。 When he reaches the wreckage and enters the cabin， he discovers a passenger missing along with the plane’s black box。 As Western grapples with the inexplicability of the plane’s circumstances and other haunting events that have him eluding danger， the novel balances back and forth from past to present with scenes heavy on philosophical dialogue， whether in seedy bars or within mesmerizing landscapes and cityscapes。 Western is also mourning the suicide of his beloved sister， who suffered from schizophrenia。 Their father worked on the Trinity Project and the eventual atomic bombs that erased Hiroshima and Nagasaki。 Experiencing the recreation of historical tragedies the way only McCarthy can describe them transports you to places where you can feel every sentient detail and painful memory。The Passenger is riveting and haunting at every turn， and what makes it splendid is its incandescent， entrancing prose。 McCarthy’s hymnal-like lyricism reinvents language like prophecy， and no one conjures breathtaking images like he does both for the physical and metaphysical worlds he examines。 I marveled over the range， beauty， and ingenuity of his language and ideas。What makes The Passenger different in relation to McCarthy’s other astounding works is that it actually reads faster than most of his books。 At the same time it’s also daunting and challenging and rewarding in the best way that hard work is not work at all if you love what you’re doing。 McCarthy’s dark wit and grave humor are often underappreciated， and he truly outdoes anything he’s ever done with the amount of comedic moments in this novel。 Of course， it’s dark， disturbing， and eerie， but I also smiled a lot—that is， when I wasn’t catching my breath from the suspense and the unknowable journey McCarthy was taking me on。 No different than every McCarthy work， The Passenger takes you to a spellbinding world， entirely rooted in reality yet seeking for something unnamable and seemingly unattainable， which for McCarthy might be “God” or the genesis of a godlike source。 The Passenger may haunt you， enlighten you， or perhaps baffle or frustrate some readers， but if you’re like me， I savored every page and didn’t want it to end。 。。。more
Joe
，
There's a moment toward the end of Cormac McCarthy's new novel The Passenger where one character says to another， "I'm not sure I see the point of the story。" And that statement pretty much sums up the experience of reading The Passenger。Listen， two things can be true at the same time: Cormac McCarthy is our greatest living American writer， and The Passenger is a bad book。 McCarthy is probably best known for The Road - one of the （if not the） greatest post-apocalyptic novels ever written - for w There's a moment toward the end of Cormac McCarthy's new novel The Passenger where one character says to another， "I'm not sure I see the point of the story。" And that statement pretty much sums up the experience of reading The Passenger。Listen， two things can be true at the same time: Cormac McCarthy is our greatest living American writer， and The Passenger is a bad book。 McCarthy is probably best known for The Road - one of the （if not the） greatest post-apocalyptic novels ever written - for which he won the Pulitzer prize， and No Country for Old Men， a stellar neo-noir nihilistic western that was made into an Academy Award-winning film。 Both of those novels are among my favorites of all time。Set （mostly） off the Gulf Coast in the 1980s， The Passenger begins promisingly enough。 Bobby Western， a salvage diver， is called up in the middle of the night to do a body retrieval from a private jet that crashed off the coast of Mississippi。 While diving into the submerged wreck， Western discovers that the black box and one of the passengers are missing。 It's not long after that Western is visited by two men claiming to be federal agents and his apartment is ransacked。Pretty intriguing hook， right？ Has the same "working class man caught in a situation beyond his control" vibe as No Country For Old Men。 Well， I don't think it's a spoiler to let you know that the plot line goes absolutely nowhere， is never resolved， and is forgotten about for more than 80% of the book's page count。What do we have instead？ Conversations over food and beers。 So many lunch and dinner conversations。 In （the already infamous） Chapter V， we even get a multi-page unprompted dialogue sequence between two men about quantum mechanics and nuclear physics。 I swear half the words in this section are made up。 See， our working-class hero protagonist， Bobby Western， is actually a genius， and his dad worked with Einstein and Oppenheimer on the atomic bomb。 But Western can't get over his schizophrenic sister's suicide ten years ago - a sister with whom he may have had a sexual relationship。 Yep。 We also get chapters written from his sister's point of view （in all italics） which are rambling， repetitive， incoherent conversations with her hallucinations。 Most readers， I suspect， will begin scanning over these sections after the first few。And where does it all lead？ Nowhere。 Listen， I've read Blood Meridan， The Border Trilogy， No Country For Old Men， The Road， and even his script for The Counselor。 I know what I'm in for when I pick up a McCarthy novel， and I can appreciate a skillfully-executed anti-climax （pretty much a necessity for a McCarthy fan）。 But with The Passenger， it feels like McCarthy and his characters got bored with their own plot。If you enjoyed The Passenger， I don't want to take that away from you， but。。。really？ Reading some of these 4- and 5-star reviews is pretty funny in retrospect。 I mean， this book is a big win for fans of rambling bar talk。 So， why 2 stars instead of one star？ Well， McCarthy is still a fantastic prose writer。 No one can set a scene like him。 The diving sequences are great， and one section aboard an abandoned oil rig off the Florida coast is so chilling and atmospheric - but， like the rest of the novel， it goes nowhere and means nothing。 Ultimately， The Passenger is one of my biggest disappointments of 2022。Note: Yes， I'm aware of the "companion novella" Stella Maris being released in a couple of months。 Based on the publisher's blurb， the novella is composed of session transcripts from Western's schizophrenic sister's time in a mental institution set 10 years before The Passenger begins。 Yeah， no thank you。 I'd be willing to bet the Stella Maris transcripts were originally supposed to be in The Passenger， but some wise editor chopped it out and compromised to release it separately as a novella。 。。。more
Drea
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Rambling and， in the end， pointless。 Well written though。 No surprise there。
Joe Holley
，
Not a fan。 I’m afraid if I started a review I’d never stop。
David
，
I waited for months to read this novel， having read almost everything Cormac McCarthy has written。 I don't mind saying that I am disappointed and I won't fall into the trap of giving a novel five stars because it has a lot of complex elements to it and because McCarthy is a great writer。 It isn't a good novel。Cormac McCarthy is an author capable of creating powerful novels with a driving narrative and gripping writing that are very difficult to put down。 His most recent novels， "The Road" and "N I waited for months to read this novel， having read almost everything Cormac McCarthy has written。 I don't mind saying that I am disappointed and I won't fall into the trap of giving a novel five stars because it has a lot of complex elements to it and because McCarthy is a great writer。 It isn't a good novel。Cormac McCarthy is an author capable of creating powerful novels with a driving narrative and gripping writing that are very difficult to put down。 His most recent novels， "The Road" and "No Country For Old Men" are examples of that。 He also can write puzzling， strange novels， such as "Child of God" or "Outer Dark"， the latter about a man condemned to roam and be attacked following an incestuous relationship with his sister。 "The Passenger" is more like "Outer Dark" than the other two novels， unfortunately。 There aren't any plot spoilers in this review because there isn't really a plot to speak of and that is a shame。The novel gets off to a great start。 Bobby Western is a salvage diver who notices something is strange about a plane crash beneath the waters。 Unfortunately， that opening doesn't really go anywhere。 Instead， we learn that Western is in a continual state of grief regarding his sister， who committed suicide。 He loved his sister deeply and possibly， romantically。 In addition， Bobby is a capable physicist， born of parents who worked on the Manhattan Project。 His sister is beyond a math genius。 But not much is made of this either， except by way of background。The rest of the novel consists of conversations between Western and his colorful group of acquaintances including a trans woman， a private eye and friends who spend a great deal of time drinking and taking drugs （and engaging in long conversations）。 There is an extended discussion of physics from Einstein's Theory of Relativity to modern quantum theory， which has little to do with the book。 In between this are the （vivid） hallucinations of his sister， Alicia。 Because McCarthy is such a powerful and poetic writer， this is all a great pleasure to read。 He is truly a virtuoso when it comes to prose and his vocabulary and attention to detail are stunning。 But all of the great writing is just great writing。 It never goes anywhere。In the end， I would love to ask McCarthy why he would set up a novel's plot so well and then completely abandon it。 It's like the main character of "No Country for Old Men" took the money and then spent the rest of the novel wandering around talking to people。 Much of "The Passenger" includes philosophical speculation most akin to existentialism， which by its nature is pretty depressing。 It resembles a Kafka novel a lot more than his most recent books。 It's worth reading for the prose alone， but I can't help but wonder why McCarthy made the choices he made in this novel。 。。。more
Dustin Bagby
，
Absolutely stunning。 At first I was caught up in this intriguing mystery which was actually not the main event and never satisfied。 What the book is really about is the conversations with interesting and colorful people of backgrounds of which we aren’t even really privy to。 It’s the story of Billy Western’s search for meaning （if there is any） in his experience of loss （and continuing loss）， death， change， and whether anything can actually be known。 A man scarred by generational trauma that doe Absolutely stunning。 At first I was caught up in this intriguing mystery which was actually not the main event and never satisfied。 What the book is really about is the conversations with interesting and colorful people of backgrounds of which we aren’t even really privy to。 It’s the story of Billy Western’s search for meaning （if there is any） in his experience of loss （and continuing loss）， death， change， and whether anything can actually be known。 A man scarred by generational trauma that doesn’t ever appear to be overcome。 It’s impossible to reach the end and not be impacted by the feelings of dread and despair that is his existential reality。 There are so many subjects broached in this book， the meaning of history， epistemology， math， it’s clear that Billy is a deep diver in more than just the literal sense。 。。。more
Trever Eliason
，
"Every remedy for loneliness only postpones it。 And that day is coming in which there will be no remedy at all" "Every remedy for loneliness only postpones it。 And that day is coming in which there will be no remedy at all" 。。。more
Ben Brackett
，
Wildly uneven。 While there were parts and sections that I loved， there was more that I didn't。 Unlike his previous books， the plot faded in and out and didn't feel like the driving force。 There was a lot of unneeded delving into things that sometimes felt like he just wanted to brag about how much he knew about a subject versus adding to the story， and some were just irritating。 His unique voice and language shined in parts， but there were a few pages that were *so* McCarthy they almost seemed l Wildly uneven。 While there were parts and sections that I loved， there was more that I didn't。 Unlike his previous books， the plot faded in and out and didn't feel like the driving force。 There was a lot of unneeded delving into things that sometimes felt like he just wanted to brag about how much he knew about a subject versus adding to the story， and some were just irritating。 His unique voice and language shined in parts， but there were a few pages that were *so* McCarthy they almost seemed like a parody of him。 All his other books at the end I felt like I went through something， this I was almost skimming by the last pages。 It's a book for those who like Pynchon， or just love McCarthy so much you have to read it。 Wouldn't recommend otherwise。 。。。more
Matthias
，
Out of the pitiable and exhausted remnants of what was once his soul he’ll find nothing from which to craft the least thing godlike to guide him in these last of days。
Braden Siemens
，
“Before me there is no time， after me there is no existence。”It truly feels as though I am read the greatest American writer’s final adieu to the world。 As my favourite writer since the day I finished reading Blood Meridian， I have looked forward to The Passenger for along time。 It was a gift to be able to read this book， and there are many passages that will remain with me for the rest of my life。 In The Passenger one finds traces of all of McCarthy’s oeuvre now threaded into a new and consumma “Before me there is no time， after me there is no existence。”It truly feels as though I am read the greatest American writer’s final adieu to the world。 As my favourite writer since the day I finished reading Blood Meridian， I have looked forward to The Passenger for along time。 It was a gift to be able to read this book， and there are many passages that will remain with me for the rest of my life。 In The Passenger one finds traces of all of McCarthy’s oeuvre now threaded into a new and consummate masterpiece。 While readers may expect brutality and an aesthetics of violence present in his older works， or the accessible staccato dialogue of The Road and No Country， here is a McCarthy subsumed in a dense unconscious， in physics， in mathematics， and in Kafkaesque and Nabokavian motifs。 Right after finishing the first 50 pages of the book I immediately reread the first 50 pages。 This is a book that demands a slow， careful， meditative read。 After reading those last sentences， I am left with an unspeakable and sacred feeling of sadness and connectedness， the kind of paradoxical and primordial feelings that only McCarthy’s writing can conjure up。 It is difficult to know where to begin when thinking of the themes of The Passenger。 Their meanings are as elusive as the kid’s question to Alicia: “What’s in a shadow？” There is something here about what it means to live in a world heading for deeper and deeper simulations， a void after void， planes with missing passenger and navigational boxes， submerged in a black and boggy sea。 Bobby Western may be a salvage diver， but what’s more important is how he dreams of those bottoms of the dark ocean， and the yawning ancient smoke that threatens him there below。 What happens when we sink into the unconscious？ Will we welcome the grief lying in wait there？ You can’t descend into that darkness with your day-to-day floating on the surface。 “You got people who think it would be a good idea to discover the true nature of darkness。 The hive of darkness and the lair thereof。 You can see them out there with their lanterns。 What is wrong with this picture？”McCarthy offers no answers， no solutions， only the spirit of a mood， an atmosphere lifted from the boiling point of human emotion and experience。 Here is a book that is a melancholic collection of papers， “fading recollections”—like history。 I could go on forever about this book and it is difficult for me to review it at all。 I sat staring at the wall of a cafe almost in tears after finishing it。 It feels like something of a goodbye， or a will from a literary grandfather。 I will say it again。 It is a great gift for me to read McCarthy’s final testaments。 I eagerly await December for Stella Maris， but for now here is one of my favourite passages from the book:“You want to know the last time I saw anybody。 I could ask you when was the last time you didn’t see anybody。 When was the last time you sat just by yourself。 Watched it get dark。 Watched it get light。 Thought about your life。 Where you’d been and where you were goin。 Was there reason for any of it。Is there？I think that if there was a reason then that would just be one more thing to inquire about。 My notion is you probably make up reasons after you’ve decided what it is you’re goin to do。 Or not do。” 。。。more
Lucas Chance
，
It’s absolutely a great book， but it’s more so that in context with all of McCarthy’s other writing than something indecently。 While discursive and ultimately existential conversations have always been a part of McCarthy’s work， this book is primarily that with little exploration of environment except in connection tot he characters。 It’s really interesting in contrast to his other works which has these conversations in contrast to a cold uncaring world that ultimately ends in violence。 The viol It’s absolutely a great book， but it’s more so that in context with all of McCarthy’s other writing than something indecently。 While discursive and ultimately existential conversations have always been a part of McCarthy’s work， this book is primarily that with little exploration of environment except in connection tot he characters。 It’s really interesting in contrast to his other works which has these conversations in contrast to a cold uncaring world that ultimately ends in violence。 The violence here is on a personal emotional level but also the knowledge of the future the book refers to is the present in which the book is set。 Ultimately， it reminds me most of The Sunset Limited and it’s staging or the Counselor and it’s discussions in favor of its plot。 The story is split in two sections per chapter with flashbacks between Alicia and her hallucination， The Kid， who is described as a flippered man who travels with minstrels， and the other half follows Bobby Western’s， Alicia’s brother， life falling apart around him amid conversations about the absurdity and fatality of life in the last part of the 20th century。 Near the end， these two plots merge to show Bobby’s connection to his sister and her psychosis。 This does not have much of a payoff beyond the one the reader arrived to which is the end of a conversation。 This form of anticlimax is not uncommon with McCarthy as most of his novels end with less a major event than other characters reacting and continuing about their business。 But what we get here with Bobby and Alicia’s narratives is a sadder， intimate， yet incredibly distancing connection to their tragic ends。 Ultimately， this is a great work from an author who refuses to be pinned down even in his golden years。 。。。more
Carole Fox
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While I found this book interesting from the perspective of stimulating thought， the story just didn't flow in any sort of cohesive fashion。 I have read McCarthy's other published novels， all of which I liked， but this one seems lacking by comparison。 I will wait to read his second book in this series， Stella Maris， before rating this one。 While I found this book interesting from the perspective of stimulating thought， the story just didn't flow in any sort of cohesive fashion。 I have read McCarthy's other published novels， all of which I liked， but this one seems lacking by comparison。 I will wait to read his second book in this series， Stella Maris， before rating this one。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Passenger
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Passenger&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Passenger&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0