"The light of the world is in men's eyes only, for the world itself moves in eternal darkness and darkness is its true nature and true condition" - ouch and wow.
"Ouch and wow" could be the entire review. But I have recently read "The Brothers Karamazov"
(https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2926789483) and I must say I find this a far better work of fiction and literature. Dostoyevsky's book is illuminated by two spellbinding sections that take place out of the immediate reality of the story - and we have the same here. I will call them the fables of the sorrowful man and the blind man respectfully. Most of the philosophy and big questions come during these amazing, almost non-sequitur sections. Though for me the rest of the story is more exciting and visceral here.
It is a strangely structured and paced novel, with a steady coming of age story combined with a wolf hunt taking up the first third or so, then sometimes jarring changes of pace hit you fast; tragedy, deceit, philosophy, history, murder, fables, faith, shootouts and a civil war! Throw in some gypsies, Natives, and there's just enough time left for a love story too.
There are some chapters from the wolf's point of view - these are beautifully done, the only comparable sections I know of are the wolf sections on Game of Thrones.
The writing is sparse and harsh, like the people and landscape they exist in. You can miss major events simply because they hardly talk about it! Yet is is so beautiful, as with his other works there are absolute gems almost thrown away casually - often by minor of one off characters, the Indians he meets on his first trip warning him not to wander for ever, that "his heart and world are with others, if you wander too long you lose it forever, the world is a part of us" or simply "Life is memory then nothing".
This is a far more exciting book compared to the first, with far more action and violence - at one point someone sucks out the eyes of a man (the fabled blind man) leaving them dangling...
And as you should expect by now in McCarthy's novels it's dark dark dark. Don't expect a Hollywood ending. Don't even expect a nice ending (or no ending!) for those minor one off characters! I laughed out load when a doctor is killed off for no other reason than the author is a sick twisted man! I've read enough now to confidently name him my favourite author.
"There is no order to the world but that what death has put there"