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Finished The Passenger yesterday, still need to start Stella Maris. I like the interpretation of Western as a passenger of life is pretty spot on. Very much it seems like he's a passenger to the changing currents of the postwar 20th century (and beyond), simply talking with others and listening and taking in these broad, radical cultural, scientific and political shifts. He mostly just wants to live alone and be left to his own private misery, but like all of us he is swept along. It's curious knowing that McCarthy had been working on this for decades, and it's set in 1980, but final revisions seem to really come through as so much of it feels incredibly modern as these hints of changes to come are peppered through the dialogue. There's a trans woman, which who knows if this character has been in drafts for decades or was a recent addition but is nevertheless a timely figure of the current culture war. One of the most empathetic and passionate characters in the whole book. There's the physics section, which covers much of the developments made in that field up to a point but presages later developments like the Large Hadron Collider and other breakthroughs towards our understanding of the universe since 1980. There's of course the JFK conspiracies and political coverups and spooks running around pulling strings and involving otherwise unassuming people with the misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Hell, there's even a reference from Kline to electronic money and private currencies that almost feels like a wry nod to crypto.
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Dec 14, 2022 18:31
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| # ¿ May 9, 2024 04:16 |
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Just finished Stella Maris and really loved it, though still kinda boggling just what it all means in the end. But I understand fully why it's split into two books, rather than just making it a second part, it feels like an independent companion piece that answers few questions about The Passenger but thematically reinforces it. I don't understand the mathematics and physics enough to fully make sense of it though and would love to read a good review or analysis of it if anyone has a recommendation. One big thing that seems notable though. Like I mentioned earlier about how Bobby is a very passive figure, generally the one asking questions in conversations or simply absorbing long monologues and bits of philosophical intrigue from others -- here it's Alicia who provides everything and the psychiatrist as more of a device to ask leading questions.
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Dec 30, 2022 18:04
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