Cormac mccarthy to publish two new novels

[Chris]

CORMAC MCCARTHY TO PUBLISH TWO NEW NOVELS

On Tuesday, March 8th, the news broke that Cormac McCarthy has not one, but two new novels coming out in fall 2022. McCarthy fans have been waiting for a new book since 2006 when the acclaimed author published his mega-hit The Road. McCarthy, who is 88, will publish The Passenger on October 25th, and Stella Maris on November 22nd. Fans have known since 2015 that McCarthy was at work on The Passenger, but the existence of Stella Maris came as a surprise.

The two new novels are intertwined and tell a story of doomed love. Bobby and Alicia Western are siblings tormented by their father’s involvement with the development of the atom bomb. They are also tormented by their love for and obsession with one another.

The Passenger is set in 1980 in New Orleans. It tells the story of Bobby’s exploration of the wreckage of a sunken jet. He discovers that the plane’s black box, the pilot’s flight bag, and the body of one passenger are all missing. The 400-page novel describes how he becomes further enmeshed in this mystery.

Stella Maris focuses on Alicia, making this the first time McCarthy has built a novel around a female character. The novel, around 200 pages, is written in dialogue and consists of the transcript of a conversation between Alicia and her doctor. It’s set in 1972 in Wisconsin when Alicia is a doctoral candidate in mathematics. She receives a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia....

I just pre-ordered on Amazon.

[Chris]

Two high school students elicit a few rare answers from Cormac McCarthy: Rare Thoughts on Writing From Cormac McCarthy in This Unlikely Interview

...Lily Wilhelm and Carly Oseran: Could you describe a part of your process for developing ideas into stories?

Cormac McCarthy: Writing is very subconscious and the last thing I want to do is think about it.

CO and LW: We are being tasked with conducting a rhetorical analysis of All the Pretty Horses. As a novelist, do you think that’s even possible, or is it a good way to ruin the reading experience?

CM: I think it is a good way to ruin the reading experience.

CO and LW: Your syntax has sometimes been described as musical. This makes us wonder about what kind of music you listen to, and/or if music influences your style?

CM: Everything in life influences style and therefore it is difficult if not impossible to pinpoint a specific influence. [Friend: Cormac thought this a great question. I want to add that he is too modest to say that he has a beautiful singing voice and plays the guitar very well. Having grown up in Tennessee, he is fond of old bluegrass/country ballads, the Louvin Brothers and the Carter Family, led by Mother Maybelle Carter, for example. The lyrics of some of these ballads are very haunting/interesting. You might want to check them out.]...