Outer dark

by Cormac McCarthy

242 pages

English language

Published July 15, 1993 by Vintage Books.

ISBN:: 978-0-679-72873-3

(9 reviews)

A woman bears her brother's child, a boy, the brother leaves the baby in the woods and tells her he died of natural causes. Discovering her brother's lie, she sets forth alone to find her son. Both brother and sister wander through a countryside being scourged by three terrifying strangers, toward an apocalyptic resolution.

11 editions

PanaX reviewed The Outer Dark by Cormac McCarthy

Review of 'The Outer Dark' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Violent, lyrical, and macabre.

Annette C. Boehm reviewed Outer dark by Cormac McCarthy

Review of 'Outer dark' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

Dark indeed.

DaveNash3 reviewed Outer dark by Cormac McCarthy

Review of 'Outer dark' on 'Storygraph'

5 stars

It Faulkner and O’Connor had a literary child it would write this book. Set somewhere in Appalachia, this fabulist story has an Old Testament resonance.

Culla is a descendant of Cain. “You will be a restless wonderer on the earth.” He travels the land and tragedy follows. Rinthy, Culla’s sister, follows the line of Seth and generally finds good favor. The chap is like Able. Only the Tinker sees that Rinthy has been corrupted with the line of Cain - alluding to Genesis 6.

There’s also a devilish Trio in this tale that’s like the the opposite of the three in book of Daniel - “Look I see four men walking around the fire, the fourth looks like the son God.”