No Country for Old Men, book review. (Cormac McCarthy)

Have you ever been punched in the face by a book?

It's a simple question, and up until now I can't honestly say that I have.

I've been wooed by books, romanced, charmed and frightened by them, I've even been brought to tears, be them happy or sad, but never in my many years and hundreds of books, have I ever been punched in the face, (although Fight Club was like a good slap), but I have now.

The simplicity of the writing that annoyed me so in, The Road, is here, as is the non-existent grammar, but with a relentless madman on the loose, (Chigurh), several trucks full of dead Mexicans, a missing case of money, and a Sheriff who's not as stupid as you might think, the action and sheer pace of this book make you forgive it those annoyances.

When Llewelyn Moss discovers a drug deal gone wrong, and figures out where the money might be at, his life expectancy takes a turn for the worse.

The relentless pursuit of Llewelyn and the money across the barren Texas landscape, through towns, hotels and even across the border to Mexico, is punishing, sad and thrilling in equal measure. The innocent suffer, as do some of the criminals, but the stand out character has to be, Anton Chigurh. Never have I come across such an empty shell of a man, someone so devoid of emotion; he's just so convincing it sends shivers down your spine.

You may all have seen the film, it's a very good representation of the book, so maybe y'all know what to expect if you read this, but for me, there's nothin' like discoverin characters for yourself.

The deep, deep, sadness that this book left me with, might not be y'all cup o’ tea, nor might the violence, but it's not a long book, so I say give it a go, especially if y'all like a good punch in the face!

So the non-existent grammar didn't bother me as much, the southern Texas drawl was beyond convincing, probably the most convincing dialect I have yet read, (I'm not brave enough to read Trainspotting yet), but due in part to the books brevity, and what I thought was a rather pointless conversation between Sheriff Bell and the old man at the end, I'm gonna have ta knock a half star off.

So, four and half stars for, No Country for Old Men then.

Bloody fantastic!