#32: White Noise by Don DeLillo

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100 books, book review, books, literature, philosophy, technology

I have made no secret of my strained relationship with technology (see this rant for proof).  As much as I enjoy the ability to procure endless entertainment with minimal effort, I worry about the effect such ease has on our lives.  The old man hiding inside of me looks back to the halcyon days of childhood, when being friends meant more than accepting a request on Facebook.  Playing football meant going out in the front yard and cracking skulls with the neighborhood kids, not turning on the Xbox 360 and pressing buttons.  This wasn’t because technology didn’t exist.  It was because the generations responsible for raising my own recognized the value of actual experience over virtual accomplishments.  My mother limited the amount of Nintendo we could play.  My brothers and I were required to go outside for a certain amount of time each day.  TV was a last resort, saved for family movie nights and rainy days.  The sensibility that limited the impact of technology on my childhood seems to have disappeared at some point in the past ten or fifteen years.  For many people, I suspect it disappeared long before that.  I shudder to think what impact this fundamental shift in our relationship with technology will have on the future.  Apparently I am not alone in my concern. (For the record, I recognize the irony of making such a rant via internet blog post)

Don DeLillo’s White Noise is the story of Jack Gladney, a professor of Hitler Studies at the College-on-the-Hill somewhere in middle America.  Jack’s life with his fourth wife, Babette, and their children is permeated by the omnipresent whine of technology.  The TV and the radio constantly offer commentary and commercials, uniting the family with the rest of America in a great quilt of consumerism.  Jack is happy, only vaguely haunted by the fear of his own eventual death.  This changes when a nearby chemical spill releases a black cloud of insecticide byproduct.  The airborne toxic event forces Jack and his family to evacuate their home.  Although they are allowed to return after little more than a week, the peaceful life the family knew is hopelessly disrupted.  Jack’s possible exposure to the cloud has him focused relentlessly on the possibility of his imminent demise.  Babette is also consumed by her fear of death.  A potential cure for their dread arrives in the form of Dylar, a medication that promises to eradicate the fear of death.  When Dylar fails, Jack resorts to extreme measures to ease his pain.  Through it all the hum of technology continues to surround him.

White Noise is more than a meditation on death.  It is an indictment of the influence of technology and commercialism on our everyday lives.  Jack does not fear his natural death.  It is only when exposed to a manmade disaster that he fears his unnatural demise.  The black cloud seems to rob him of the joy of living.  What DeLillo manages to express is that the white noise surrounding him had already cheapened Jack’s existence.  The black cloud simply makes him aware of that fact.  Jack’s relationships are defined by technology.  The comfort and ease offered by all of the devices surrounding him is enticing but ultimately dulling.  It blurs the line between what is real and what is merely projected.  It is a shame that the internet and social media did not exist in 1985 when DeLillo wrote this book.  I am sure he would have a great deal to say about these developments.

I was immediately captivated by White Noise.  It seems to say so many of the things I have often thought about technology.  What is the price we pay for so much convenience?  Have we given up some part of real pleasure for the appearance of comfort?  These are questions worth considering, and this is a book worth reading. White Noise is like the bastard offspring of Kurt Vonnegut and Marshall McLuhan, full of both dark humor and substantial social criticism.  Turn off the TV and read this book!

The Current Count

32 Read, 68 To Go

#30: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson

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100 books, book review, books, literature

Preparing for the GRE seems to have sapped all of my mental energy and thus more than a week has passed since I finished reading the final book in Stieg Larsson’s Millenium trilogy, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest.  This novel opens with Lisbeth Salander near death after being shot in the head by Russian gangster Zalachenko.  She is accused of attempted murder of Zalachenko and seems certain to go to jail.  Her only hope is for Mikael Blomkvist and an assortment of her friends to uncover a sinister plot within the secret police to keep Salander committed to an institution in order to hide the doings of a small group of individuals known as The Section.  Blomkvist’s investigations put his own life in danger, and he must try to help Salander while protecting his other friends.  Again, this is a very abbreviated summary.  If you have read the book, you know what I mean.  If you haven’t, I have deliberately kept from ruining it for you, so read it!

I enjoyed this book the most out of the Millenium trilogy.  Part of the reason is probably because this is the only one of which I had not already seen a movie version.  I also enjoy espionage novels, and the hunt for the Section reminded me a bit of Le Carre’s Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.  Larsson’s talent for building suspense is on full display in The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest.  It is the longest of the three novels (and could have done without a few sections), but reads like a much shorter book.  I highly recommend the entire trilogy.

The Current Count

30 Read, 70 To Go

#29: The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson

Tags

100 books, book review, books, literature

I knocked out book twenty-nine four days ago, but as usual have been a bit slow in posting my review.  As with The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, I will keep my summary of Stieg Larsson’s The Girl Who Played With Fire  brief so that I don’t spoil the surprise for the uninitiated.  The second novel in Larsson’s Millenium Trilogy returns us to investigative journalist Mikael Blomkvist and oddball hacker Lisbeth Salander.  When a couple researching a prostitution ring for Blomkvist’s magazine are murdered, Salander is named the prime suspect.  A third murder is also tied to her.  All of Sweden seems certain that she is guilty, and a widespread manhunt ensues.  Blomkvist is certain of his friend’s innocence and launches his own investigation.  There is also a shadowy presence lurking over the crimes, known only by the name Zala.  As Salander prepares to defend herself, her friends risk everything to save her.

I enjoyed this book, but not as much as the first in the series.  The main reason is probably that I knew the big secret of the book before reading it.  I had already seen the Swedish version of this film and therefore knew the conclusion.  That definitely detracted from the experience.  It was enjoyable, but a bit less so as a result of my knowledge.  I would still recommend the book, but mostly as preparation for the third installment (which I am almost finished with!).

The Current Count

29 Read, 71 To Go

#28: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

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100 books, book review, books, literature, movies, Stieg Larsson

I have previously discussed my reluctance to read any book that has achieved widespread popular acclaim. I am a book snob, plain and simple. If the common folk like a book, then it must be beneath the intellectual giant that is me (I know, I am a little bit of an ass). This rule has worked to my benefit on several occasions, having protected me from the teenage titillation of Twilight and the harebrained poppycock of Harry Potter (I worked hard on that sentence). It has also very nearly done me a great disservice on multiple occasions. It was this snobbery that almost kept me from Cormac McCarthy (thanks to Daniel and Seth at Surf Waco for setting me straight). It was also this snobbery that almost kept me from Stieg Larsson’s The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Despite watching and enjoying both the Swedish and American film versions of this novel, I was hesitant to pick it up. Thanks to my wife’s insistence, I finally did so.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is part crime novel and part onion. There are several plot lines layered together into an incredibly entertaining whole. The core plot revolves around the disappearance and suspected murder of teenager Harriet Vanger in the 1960’s. Harriet’s uncle, wealthy industrial Henrik Vanger, hires Mikael Blomkvist to look into her case in the hope of turning up new information before Henrik succumbs to his advanced age. With the help of talented but troubled researcher Lisbeth Salander, Blomkvist uncovers a shocking chain of grisly murders that leads him to the truth about Harriet. There are several subplots that explain the psychology and backgrounds of both Blomkvist and Salander, creating sincere and believable characters. I won’t summarize in any greater detail because most of the universe has already read this book, and I don’t want to spoil it for those precious few who lag behind even me in jumping on this bandwagon.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo deserves every bit of the acclaim surrounding it. It is both well written and well translated. Although it is graphically violent and graphically sexual in parts, these sections seem neither gratuitous nor glorifying. Larsson’s plot draws the reader in so deeply that it is nearly impossible to put the book down once it is begun. I read the 644 page novel in a day and a half. Despite knowing the plot (thanks to the two movie versions), I was absolutely captivated. This is one case in which I happily acknowledge the error of my ways. If you have resisted this book out of a snobbishness akin to my own, give in to current of popular acclaim. You will not regret it.

The Current Count

28 Read, 72 To Go

#26: Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy

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100 books, book review, books, Cormac McCarthy, literature

A few years ago I began trying to put together a list of every book I have ever read.  While I cannot hope to remember all of them (especially those from my childhood), I have done a pretty fair job of recalling most of them.  The list currently stands at 434 different books (not counting books that I have read on multiple occasions).  There are a few books that stand out in my memory as truly great.  Hemingway’s For Whom the Bell Tolls is one favorite.  Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar is another.  Plato’s Republic, Milton’s Paradise Lost, and Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra will have lasting impacts on my intellect.  Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-5 will always have a special place in my heart, as will the recently deceased Ray Bradbury’s Farenheit 451.  Yet out of all of these books there is one that has earned the distinction of the best book I have ever read.  That book is Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy, book number twenty-six this year.

Blood Meridian is the story of the Kid, a fourteen-year-old Tennessean who runs away from his abusive and alcoholic father in roughly 1848.  The Kid makes his way to Texas, eventually finding himself at a religious revival in Nacogdoches.  Here he meets Judge Holden, an enormous and entirely hairless man who will emerge as the novel’s antagonist.  Holden accuses the reverend holding the revival of impure acts with both an 11-year-old girl and a goat in Fort Smith, Arkansas, enraging the crowd and inciting them to kill the preacher.  Holden later reveals that he made up the accusations.  The Kid continues his travels, working his way down to San Antonio.  He signs on with an expedition of ex-US Army soldiers intent on reclaiming territory returned to the Mexican government following the end of the Mexican-American War.  Shortly after crossing into Mexico the party is attacked by Comanches and most of the soldiers are killed.  The Kid makes it to Chihuahua, where he is arrested for participating in the illegal enterprise.

The Kid and two other Americans secure their release by signing on with a scalphunting operation headed by a man named Glanton.  The scalphunters have a contract with the Chihuahuan state to protect villagers from Indian attacks (specifically Apache), and are paid for each scalp they bring in.  Judge Holden is Glanton’s unofficial co-commander and is looked at with awe by most of his fellow marauders.  The Kid learns that Glanton’s gang found the Judge in the middle of the desert when they were fleeing from a band of Apaches.  The gang was out of gunpowder, but Holden brought them to a burned out volcano where he proceeded to mix a batch of gunpowder from the elements available.  This allowed the gang to slaughter the Apaches and established Holden as an almost superhuman figure.  The Kid also learns that every other member of the gang (except for Tobin, an ex-priest) claims to have met the Judge somewhere else prior to signing on with Glanton.  The gang proceeds to engage the Apaches when possible, but eventually descend into butchery of anyone who crosses their path, including innocent villagers, peaceful Indians, and Mexican National Guardsmen.  When word gets back to the Chihuahuan authorities, the gang flees to the borderland between Arizona and the Mexican state of Sonora.

In the area around Yuma, Arizona the gang seizes a ferry on the Colorado River.  They use the ferry to rob and abuse travelers headed for California and fortify their position as a base from which to raid the nearby Yuma Indians.  Eventually the Yumas mount an attack and slaughter the gang, scalping Glanton in the process.  The Kid escapes with the ex-priest Tobin, and Holden escapes separately.  Holden encounters the Kid and Tobin in the desert, and tries to talk the Kid out of his gun.  The Kid refuses and sets out with Tobin.  Holden eventually gets two rifles from other survivors and tracks the Kid and Tobin in the desert.  After the Kid passes on several opportunities to shoot Holden, they successfully hide from Holden (although Tobin is shot in the neck).  The Kid and Tobin make their way to San Diego, where they are separated and the Kid is imprisoned.  He is visited in his cell by Holden, who tells him that the authorities belive the Kid to be responsible for the demise of the Glanton gang (due to Holden’s testimony).  The Kid reveals the true circumstances to his jailers and is eventually released. 

The final chapter takes the reader to 1878, where the Kid is now known as the Man.  The Man encounters Holden in a Fort Griffin, Texas saloon.  Holden does not appear to have aged at all.  Holden tells the Man that his sympathy for the Indians was the seed that ultimately led to the demise of the gang.  There is no room for sympathy or clemency in a world ruled by violence and bloodshed.  He implies that the Man exists only for the purpose of doing violence, which the Man denies.  The two go their separate ways.  Later that evening, the Man enters an outhouse to find the enormous and hairless Holden waiting for him naked.  The events in the outhouse are left vague, with two other men later entering and reacting with horror to what they see.  The novel ends with Judge Holden dancing and fiddling back at the saloon, declaring to his fellow revelers that he will never die.

Blood Meridian is not a fun book to read.  It is unbelievably violent and deeply disturbing.  It is also beautifully written in prose that seems Biblical at times.  McCarthy has a singular gift for creating characters and landscapes that seem larger than real life and yet entirely believable.  Judge Holden is one of the most remarkable characters I have encountered in all of my reading.  His seems to represent wisdom and erudition at the same time that he represents violence and depravity.  The best word I can think of to describe him is haunting.  He will stay with you for a very long time.  He somehow exudes a magnetic quality that draws the other characters (and the reader) to him despite his despicable deeds.  The Kid manages to be a sort of hero despite engaging in many of the same violent acts that are so easy to condemn in the Judge.  His ultimate demise at the hands of Holden seems to imply that evil and violence will eventually extinguish even the tiniest shred of goodness in this world. 

Blood Meridian is painful and depressing.  It is violent and horrifying.  It is exhausting and excruciating.  It is also the greatest book from the greatest living American author.  Read it (and then adopt a puppy to feel joy in your life again).

The Current Count

26 Read, 74 To Go

#24: Secrets of the Heart by Khalil Gibran

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100 books, book review, books, classics, Gibran, literature, philosophy, poetry

I went with another quick read for my twenty-fourth book of the year, choosing Khalil Gibran’s Secrets of the Heart.  Based on my previous experience with Gibran, I expected a deeply philosophical book written in beautiful figurative language.  As usual, Gibran did not disappoint. 

Secrets of the Heart is a collection of poems and short stories that reflect Gibran’s general philosophy of renouncing worldly goods in favor of universal brotherhood.  He writes in language that is both wonderfully symbolic and ageless.  My favorite selections from this particular book were “Dead Are My People” and “John the Madman.”  “Dead Are My People” is a poem about the death and suffering of the people of Lebanon during World War I and Gibran’s guilt about escaping that suffering by moving with his family to America.  “John the Madman” is a short story about a young farmer in Syria who reads the New Testament in his spare time (against the orders of local priests).  His observations of the real world and the sermons preached by the priests do not align with his own scriptural readings.  When he (rightfully) speaks out against the corruption and wickedness he sees, he is dismissed as a madman and shunned.  Both of these stories are well written and very profound.  Even if the other selections offered in Secrets of the Heart had no value, I would recommend the book based on these two stories.  Fortunately, the entire book is wonderful.  Although I would recommend The Prophet or The Madman more highly, Secrets of the Heart is well worth reading.

The Current Count

24 Read, 76 To Go

#21: A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare

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100 books, book review, books, classics, drama, literature, Shakespeare

Nearly a week ago I finished reading Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream but have only now found the time to sit down and write my review.  I picked this play for several reasons.  First, I love Shakespeare and am slowly working my way through all of his plays.  Second, this is one of the most frequently performed of his plays and I wanted to correct this gap in my literary knowledge.  Third, I wanted something short, quick, and entertaining.  A Midsummer Night’s Dream definitely met the last requirement.

To say that A Midsummer Night’s Dream is about relationships would be a bit of an understatement.  There are relationships piled on top of relationships in this particular play.  There is Theseus, Duke of Athens, who is engaged to Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons.  There is Hermia, and Athenian maiden whose father has pledged her to marry Demetrius but who loves Lysander.  There is Helena, who loves Demetrius but cannot sway him from his desire for Hermia.  There is Oberon, King of the Fairies and his queen, Titania.  Finally, there is Pyramus and Thisbe, the main characters in a (supposedly) tragic play-within-the-play acted out by some humble Athenian craftsmen.  These relationships frame the action throughout the play and offer many opportunities for comic misunderstanding.

These relationships form three plotlines that are woven together.  The first plotline revolves around the Athenian lovers.  Hermia wants to marry Lysander but has been pledged to Demetrius by her father.  Her father uses an ancient Athenian law to force his daughter to choose between marrying Demetrius or death.  Theseus, as duke, is forced to resolve the issue.  He gives Hermia the choice between marrying Demetrius or becoming a nun in the service of Diana.  Lysander and Hermia plot to flee Athens and get married in the woods outside of Theseus’ jurisdiction.  Helena, in a fit of jealousy, informs Demetrius of the plans of his supposed bride in the hopes that he will be so grateful that he abandons Hermia in favor of Helena.  Demetrius and Helena prepare to pursue Hermia and Lysander.  While all of this is occurring, a group of simple Athenian craftsmen makes plans to rehearse a play in honor of the impending nuptials between Theseus and Hippolyta.  Their chosen rehearsal location is the very same clearing in the woods at which Hermia and Lysander plan to wed (and Helena and Demetrius plan to confront them).  Confused yet?

The action then moves to the woods, where we encounter Oberon, King of the Fairies.  Oberon is in the middle of a dispute with Titania, Queen of the Fairies.  Oberon is angry with Titania because she refuses to give an Indian changeling who was the son of one of her followers to Oberon to act as his knight.  Oberon plots a bit of trickery to punish Titania for her obstinacy and sends his servant Puck to retrieve a magical flower whose juice can be applied to a person’s eyelids while they sleep, causing them to fall in love with whatever they see first upon awakening.  His plan is to make Titania fall in love with a woodland creature and then shame her back into obedience.  While plotting this revenge, he overhears Helena’s struggle to win Demtrius’ favor.  He tells Puck to apply the juice to Demetrius’ eyes as well so that he will return Helena’s love.  Puck accidentally applies the magic juice to Lysander’s eyes instead, who sees Helena when he awakes.  When Oberon learns of the mistake, he charms Demetrius’ eyes and sends Puck to retrieve Helena.  Demetrius falls for Helena and challenges Lysander to a duel to determine whose love is greater.  Fortunately, Puck distracts the two men until all of the lovers fall asleep and Oberon removes the charm from Lysander.  That leaves Lysander and Hermia paired, and Helena and Demetrius together. 

While all of this is happening, the six craftsmen are practicing their play.  Puck changes Bottom, a weaver playing the part of Pyramus, into a man with the head of an ass (my older brother has sported that look for years).  Titania, under the influence of the magic flower, falls in love with the transformed Bottom (that would make a great name for an exercise program).  While she is thus distracted, Oberon steals the changeling.  He then transforms Bottom back to his natural state and lifts the spell from Titania.  Puck arranges for the Athenian lovers to believe that everything was only a dream. 

The action then returns to Athens, where the happy couples of Theseus and Hippolyta, Lysander and Hermia, and Demetrius and Helena are all married.  The craftsmen act out their play, the tragedy of Pyramus and Thisbe.  The lack of skill and rehearsal, and hypersensitivity to the women in the audience render the tragic play laughable.  The newlyweds watch the play with glee and then retire to bed.   Oberon and Titania, now reconciled, visit the house of the duke and bless the weddings.  The play concludes with Puck apologizing to the audience for any offence and reminding them it all may have been just a dream.

I loved this play.  Shakespeare is always a pleasure to read by virtue of his language, but this play was enjoyable because it is just plain fun.  The plotline borders on the absurd and the characters are somewhat ridiculous, resulting in a play that is lighthearted and farcical.  That said, it still explores the complex nature of relationships and the importance of love.  The final act, in which the newlyweds laugh at the ridiculous tragedy of Pyramus and Thisbe, is a wonderful bit of irony.  I would definitely recommend this play for anyone looking for a pleasant afternoon read.

The Current Count

21 Read, 79 To Go

#20: The Plague by Albert Camus

Tags

100 books, book review, books, Camus, literature

After an unsatisfactory taste of existentialism with my nineteenth book of the year, I decided to give the movement’s literary arm a try.  Although he rejected the label, Albert Camus is generally considered to most significant existential author.  My exposure to Camus has so far been limited to The Stranger, which I read a part of my 100 Book Challenge in 2010.  I enjoyed that novel tremendously, and the memory of it inspired me to pick up The Plague at Half Price Books.  I finished reading it several days ago but have been a bit lazy about posting.

The Plague is a novel set in the Algerian port of Oran during the 1940’s and is narrated by an anonymous citizen of the city who wants to give an impartial picture of events.  On an otherwise ordinary April day, the rats in the city begin emerging from their hiding places and dying in the streets.  This rat epidemic is treated as a mere curiosity by the populace (apparently unaware that they were in a book entitled The Plague) and this warning sign is largely ignored.  When a strange fever begins to spread amongst the human population, the town again fails to recognize the danger.  Despite warnings of plague from a few of the city’s doctors, the administration is slow to react.  By the time the threat is recognized it is too late to stop the epidemic.  The town is placed in quarantine and the gates shut, effectively cutting off the population from the rest of the world.  The plague rages through December, leaving huge numbers of dead in its wake. 

That is the basic plot of The Plague.  This is definitely not a novel that revolves around plot alone.  Instead, this is a study of humanity under duress.  Camus creates a diverse cast of characters that respond to the ordeal in many different ways.  Each character has an authentic quality that lends realism to the entire work.  They seem like people the reader might actually know, rather than characters invented by an author.  They seem so real that the reader cannot help but emote with them as they struggle to retain some understanding of life and humanity in the face of utter despair.  Camus keeps the identity of the narrator a secret until the very end of the book, which creates some interesting questions of perspective.

I found The Plague extremely engrossing and highly enjoyable.  Despite a very morbid subject matter, the book is somehow hopeful and even occasionally humorous.  I can’t vouch for Camus’ existentialist credentials, but I can definitely say that he is a wonderful writer.

The Current Count

20 Read, 80 To Go

#18: Pictor’s Metamorphoses by Hermann Hesse

Tags

100 books, book review, books, Hesse, literature, Nobel Prize, short stories

For my eighteenth book of the year I decided to go with Pictor’s Metamorphoses and Other Fantasies by Hermann Hesse, marking my fourteenth book by the German-Swiss Nobel laureate.  Hesse is an author who never seems to disappoint, and Pictor’s Metamorphoses is no exception.  It is a collection of short stories from throughout Hesse’s life (including one from his childhood).  Although the subject matter is diverse, they are united by certain magical or fantastic characteristics.  Most of the stories are only a few pages long, and the longest are only a few dozen pages in length.  This makes for a quick and relaxing read that is highly enjoyable.

My favorite story in the collection was “Bird”.  This story is about a unique bird that lives in a Swiss town and becomes something of a symbol for the area.  Eventually he becomes a legend and attracts the attention of a curious noblemen from the North.  A bounty is placed on the bird’s head, and the townspeople struggle with their desire to earn the easy money and their respect and love for their mascot.  One citizen in particular has had a special bond with Bird over the years, and decides to capture him.  He readies a gun with the finest birdshot to be found and waits.  Eventually Bird appears to him and the man shoots.  Bird disappears, without leaving so much as a feather behind.  He is never seen again.  Hesse’s descriptions of the communal spirit and the relationship between tradition and modern issues are poignant and thought-provoking.  His ability to create an authentic and enchanting atmosphere is unrivalled.  I would recommend any book  by Hesse, including Pictor’s Metamorphoses.

The Current Count

18 Read, 82 To Go

#16: Cities of the Plain by Cormac McCarthy

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100 books, book review, books, Cormac McCarthy, literature

Today I finished the third volume in Cormac McCarthy’s Border Trilogy, Cities of the Plain.  This book brings together John Grady Cole, the central character of All the Pretty Horses and Billy Parham, the central character of The Crossing.  Cities is set roughly three years after the events of All the Pretty Horses, and almost a decade after The Crossing.  Billy and John Grady both work on a ranch in southern New Mexico, not far from Juarez and El Paso.  The two men have formed a strong friendship, and the reader sees echoes of Billy’s relationship with his brother Boyd (who died in The Crossing).  They both seem at home in their cowboy lifestyle, despite the looming shadow of a government takeover of the ranch for use in military testing.  This threat is largely ignored by John Grady and Billy, as well as their fellow ranch workers.  They all have the same response: if it happens, we will find something else to do.

The threat to the ranch is a footnote to the main plot.  John Grady falls in love with a young Mexican prostitute, and the two agree to be married.  Unfortunately for John Grady, the manager of the brothel in which the girl is forced to work is also in love with her.  His name is Eduardo, and Billy attempts to negotiate for the girl’s release on John Grady’s behalf.  Eduardo refuses and makes it clear that he will not allow her to leave him without a fight.  Despite the threats from Eduardo, Jon Grady and his love continue with their plans.  Eduardo eventually murders the girl rather than lose her.  Heartbroken and enraged, John Grady confronts the pimp and the two engage in a back-alley knife fight.  John Grady is severely wounded but manages to kill Eduardo.  John Grady tries to flee but is too seriously injured to survive.  He is able to contact Billy, who sits with him until he dies.  Billy leaves the ranch for good a few days later.  The book has a lengthy epilogue in which we see Billy as an old man.  After bouncing from town to town and job to job, he eventually winds up as a homeless man.  As he nears death he is taken in by a kind family who provide comfort and seem to genuinely appreciate him.

Cities of the Plainis an excellent book, although I enjoyed the other two volumes in the Border Trilogy more.  I loved the interplay between John Grady and Billy and the poignant image of a dying way of life. All the Pretty Horsesleft off with John Grady uncertain of where to call home, with the strong sense that he left his heart in Mexico. Citiesbrings that notion to culmination, with John Grady ultimately losing his life in Mexico over an affair of the heart.  Billy is again a tragic figure, losing everything he loves to the violent and headstrong country south of the border.  The entire trilogy is as much a story of individual heartache as it is the story of the disappearance of the last vestiges of wild and free America.  Despite his incredible resourcefulness and strong will, Billy ultimately becomes a hobo, unable to integrate into modern America.  He is a relic of a dead way of life, suggesting that a part of him passed away in these books as well– his utility.  McCarthy has reminded us all that the world we know is as fleeting as our own individual happiness.

The Current Count

16 Read, 84 To Go