Boys Book Club Review: No Country For Old Men

Hold on to your (cowboy) hats… this one's is a real shootout.

Ah, February. The season of love, romance, and… westerns?

This month, we’ve got somethin’ to reckon with—a tale that don’t pull no punches, one that'll leave you quieter than when you started.

No Country for Old Men, by Cormac McCarthy.

So take a breath, scroll on, and let’s see where it leads.

Missed our last review? See what we had to say about Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential.

Details

• Author: Cormac McCarthy

• Page Count: 309

• Year Released: 2005

• Genre: Thriller/Neo-Western

• Buy No Country For Old Men on Amazon

Plot Summary (No Spoilers… We Promise)

Set on the border of Texas and Mexico, there is no lack of violence and suspense in this story of equal parts luck and misfortune. On a seemingly normal morning of antelope hunting, Llewelyn Moss stumbles upon a drug deal gone awry - dead bodies scattered on the ground, a load of heroin, and a briefcase full of money. Moss decides to take the case with him and unknowingly sets off a chain of violent events that not even the law and an aging Sheriff can protect him from. Chased by a multitude of pursuers, including a prolific killer who flips coins to decide who lives or dies, Moss must outsmart and outlast the interested parties until he can figure out how to lose them for good.

The Boys’ Reviews

Evan’s Review

I’ll start off by mentioning a few things. No Country For Old Men is one of my favourite stories. I’ve enjoyed both the book and the movie immensely. Also, having read The Road before this one (also written by Cormac Mccarthy), there is something about the author’s writing style that intrigues me. It’s different from the typical cadence and delivery usually seen in popular works of literature (more on this later). With that said, I know his books can also be divisive so I’m quite excited to see how far apart my thoughts are from David’s on this one.

The setting is a particular favourite of mine - a modern Western, set in a small Texas town that seems to be stuck in its ways. This sentiment is primarily echoed by the aging Sheriff who is closer than ever to retirement and takes part in as much introspective rambling as actual police work. Make no mistake though, despite the occasional rambles this book is a thriller through and through. From the very start, Llewelyn Moss knows taking a briefcase of money that’s earmarked for a massive drug deal is a bad idea. Yet, he takes it anyway and sets off on a dangerous path that appears to be a mismatch of wits - an average country boy against a mastermind killer - that evolves into a big game of chicken. Who will concede first? How many will be caught up in the inevitable chaos? The slow build up is perfectly tuned to my preference―I like a slow burn and this story executes it beautifully. Each sinister encounter, close call, and violent event raises the temperature just enough that I was hooked the entire way. Perhaps the best parts of this book are the expertly crafted bits of dialogue. The tension builds nicely with each conversation and without going into too much depth, it’s no wonder why entire conversations were lifted word-for-word from the pages for the film adaptation.

“I’m fixin to go do somethin dumbern hell but I’m goin anyways.”

—Llewelyn Moss

As for the characters, there aren’t many authors that I’ve found who develop characters in this way. There are no flashbacks to flesh out characters’ backgrounds (unless you count Sheriff Bell’s rambles) or other sections of character building to provide detail on specific intentions or personalities. Yet, just with the simple descriptions that are given and the bits of dialogue sprinkled throughout, you get a clear picture of each member of the story and what these particular people are like. Moss is as much stubborn as he is smart. Chigurh, the baddie of this story, is methodical and unrelenting. Other characters like Sheriff Bell, Carson Wells, Carla Jean, and a few others all have their own distinct personas that are drawn from such small amounts of detail. I can’t help but admire the efficiency at work here.

I would be remiss not to mention something important about this book, and by extension other books by the same author―the quirks. McCarthy does away with quotes or character references for speaking parts. If you aren’t paying attention, you will be re-reading parts to reorient and remember who’s talking. He also extends sentences past what would normally be considered acceptable, using “and” 10+ times in certain cases to string words together. Some readers might find these weird and not to their liking. In an odd way, I found they made the book even more interesting. The quirkiness adds a certain flavour to the writing that I enjoyed. It also makes the read a bit more challenging, so in some way I feel a greater sense of accomplishment and connection to it. Is this pretentious of me? Probably.

I feel like this is somewhat of a cop out, but I don’t have much to say in terms of negatives. You either love McCarthy’s style of writing or you hate it. I find myself in the first boat and couldn’t agree more with those who deem this one a modern day classic. While I can’t guarantee you’ll like this book, since it truly is a matter of personal taste, I am positive about one thing… you won’t know what side you fall on until you read it.

Verdict: 🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐

David’s Review

Like many, I watched the critically acclaimed movie No Country for Old Men years ago and thought it was terrific, with standout performances. But I’m embarrassed to admit that it wasn’t until recently that I learned it was based on an equally acclaimed novel of the same name. Naturally, I was excited to read the source material.

Before diving into the book, we need to address the elephant in the room: Cormac McCarthy has a very unique, albeit divisive, writing style.

While I can’t speak for his other novels (since I haven’t read them), from what I gather online, it’s a style he carries from book to book. In particular, he relies on sparse dialogue, precise descriptions, and, most notably in No Country for Old Men, a lack of quotation marks when characters speak. Your enjoyment of his works will largely depend on how well you gel with this approach.

Sadly, I found myself firmly in the “not enjoying” camp.

The absence of quotation marks was a major sticking point for me. You wouldn’t think it would be an issue, but the moment there’s more than one person in a scene, it’s easy to lose track of who’s saying what. I had hoped it would become less frustrating as I continued reading, but it only grew more irritating. It’s a real shame, though, because the dialogue is sharp and deeply meaningful.

Another artistic choice I struggled with was the monologues of the main character, Ed Tom Bell. Each chapter opens with his reflections on the ever-changing world, focusing on morality and violence. I felt like most of these monologues overstayed their welcome, and I found myself itching to return to the action.

“Somewhere you made a choice. All followed to this.”

―Anton Chigurh

Speaking of the action, the story and characters are incredible. Even though there are quite a few characters, McCarthy takes the time to ensure each one is fully fleshed out, even if they appear in only one scene.

He also does something with the main cast that more authors should take note of: he makes them smart. Not in the sense of being geniuses, but in the sense of having good old-fashioned common sense. At the beginning, when Llewelyn Moss finds the money, he’s not naïve. He understands that there will be people after it, and all of his subsequent actions are based on that logic. The same can be said for Carla Jean when she speaks to the police, or for Wells during his investigation at the motel… and the list goes on.

I’d be doing a disservice if I talked about the characters and didn’t mention Anton Chigurh. Easily a fan favorite, and I can see why. He’s chilling, methodical, and an absolute force of nature. He embodies death, not in the traditional sense, but as something based on chance and fate. If you’ve seen the movie, it’s hard not to hear Javier Bardem’s voice while reading his lines. It fits so perfectly.

I truly wanted to like this book, but its flaws kept overshadowing the good—including the ending, which I found somewhat deflating. I’d read online that Cormac McCarthy originally wrote No Country for Old Men as a screenplay, only turning it into a novel after facing multiple rejections.

In the end, I guess I’m just one of those people who prefers the movie version.

Verdict: 😐😐😐

Final Thoughts

Evan’s Closing Remarks

Well, well, well… how the tables have turned. We finally, after a few months of reviews, have stumbled upon some differing opinions. To be fair, I had a feeling David might not love certain aspects of this book. He has trouble staying focused on most real life conversations, so making it through portions of dialogue without any indication as to who’s speaking must have been a real challenge. Should attention span not be an issue for you, I highly recommend this read… but don’t take my word for it. My partner in crime did say that the story and characters are incredible after all. And I couldn’t agree more with you there, pal.

David’s Closing Remarks

If you weren’t convinced that McCarthy is divisive then look no further than right here. Between us, Evan is definitely more of an avid reader, so I can see why he appreciated McCarthy’s writing style. It’s just not something you usually see. Plus his opinion may or may not be skewed by the fact that he is a huge lover of Country music and Western culture (I'm 99% sure he struts around in cowboy boots at home). When it comes down to it, if you’re still on the fence about reading this one, maybe your best bet is to just do what Chigurh would do—flip a coin.

Thanks for hanging out with the boys this month 🤙

- David & Evan

Read along with us for the next review of… The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho