People love to talk about Blood Meridian as Cormac McCarthy’s darkest and most disturbing work, and while it certainly is, Child of God affected me far more. I think part of that is because Blood Meridian is an epic—its violence feels distant, almost mythological. As readers, we’re pulled back, observing Glanton’s gang from afar. Even the protagonist, "the kid," remains nameless; his identity doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. This narrative distance makes the horror feel abstract, part of something larger.
But Child of God is different. It’s intensely personal. We are trapped with Lester Ballard, forced to witness his descent in an uncomfortably intimate way. This difference isn’t a flaw in Blood Meridian—it’s by design. But for me, it made Child of God feel so much more brutal, for lack of a better word.
As much as this book disturbed me, I also loved it. No surprise here—McCarthy can write. His prose is raw, unflinching, and unmatched by anyone I’ve read. He never holds back, and he doesn’t offer easy escapes.
It’s funny—just recently, I reviewed South of the Border, West of the Sun by Haruki Murakami and titled my review "Not Every Character Needs to Be Good, and Murakami Proves It." But Child of God takes that idea to the extreme. While skimming Goodreads after finishing the Murakami book, I saw many negative reviews criticizing it because readers “hated” Hajime, the protagonist. Sure, he’s deeply flawed and wrongs the people he loves, but to me, that’s not a reason to dismiss a book. Not every character is meant to be likable.
But by comparison? Hajime is a saint. Lester Ballard is a straight-up psychopath, committing some of the most heinous acts imaginable. McCarthy takes us to places we don’t want to go, forcing us to confront the animalistic depths of human nature. Child of God is a study in extreme nature vs. nurture—what happens when a man is utterly rejected by society, left with nothing but his own depravity.
How McCarthy came up with this, or what made him decide to write a story like this, I have no idea. But he does it masterfully.
I think this is the most challenging book I’ve ever read—not in terms of difficulty (it’s quite accessible for a McCarthy novel in terms of writing), but because it spits in the face of humanity. And I mean that as a compliment.
Like so many others, I love McCarthy’s work. I’m close to finishing all of his novels—only Suttree and The Orchard Keeper remain. Some I’ve even reread. Maybe one day I’ll try to rank them, but that almost feels like doing his writing a disservice. I don’t know where Child of God would fall on my list, but it completely blew me away in its own depraved, unflinching way.
Child of God is not for everyone, but for any McCarthy fan, I think it’s worth reading. If you’ve read it, I’m curious to hear your thoughts—insanity!
Also, has anyone read McCarthy’s plays or screenplays? Are they worth diving into? I haven’t read a play since high school, Shakespeare, so I’d love to know if they’re worth checking out.
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