Outer Dark
Description
In this haunting tale of sin and retribution, Cormac McCarthy weaves a dark, atmospheric narrative set in an indefinite time and place that feels both timeless and deeply unsettling. When a woman discovers that her brother has abandoned their illegitimate child in the woods rather than allowing it to die naturally, she embarks on a desperate journey to find the boy, setting in motion a tragic odyssey across a bleak and unforgiving landscape. McCarthy's distinctive prose—marked by lyrical, flowery language reminiscent of Faulkner—creates an almost folkloric quality to this tale of moral transgression and its inexorable consequences. The novel explores themes of shame, family bonds, and the inescapable nature of guilt through a narrative that builds tension through atmosphere and setting as much as through plot. A masterwork of American gothic fiction, Outer Dark stands as a profound meditation on the darkness that lurks within human nature and the price of our darkest secrets.
Available Editions
paperback
Picador
Published Apr 8, 1994
256 pages
ISBN: 9780330314923
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Details
First Published
1968
Language
eng
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Content Warnings
Content and trigger warnings for Outer Dark by Cormac McCarthy.