Welcome to Litsy!

I liked this very much. One of the most Cormac McCarthian books I‘ve read. Told in 2nd person we follow Constable Jacob, a veteran of the Civil War in Friendship, Wisconsin. If I didn‘t know this was published in 1999 I would have said this was his pandemic novel. Diphtheria sets upon Friendship and we see Jacob‘s struggle with his faith as more and more of the town falls ill. The writing was superb and the story just kept building. Super pick!

It‘s a short book. Right off the bat, I wasn‘t liking the second-person narrative, so I didn‘t like the writing style. It wasn‘t easy to follow, and for a while there were a couple of people who I wasn‘t sure whether or not they were dead or still alive, after all. I appear to be in a minority, but I‘m not a fan of this one

Stunning - an absolutely amazing tale. Dark, disturbing, heartbreaking and thought provoking. I could not put this slim volume down.

Jacob Hansen, constable, undertaker, preacher, has seen his share of horrors in the Civil War but somehow he holds fast to faith. But when his beloved hometown is ravaged by disease and fire, his grisly obligations overwhelm and redemption is out of reach.

I also got to chat with Stewart O'Nan.Cool dude. If he ends up on Litsy, you'll know who to thank. 😉😂

One of the greatest pieces of writing I've ever experienced. Sounds hyperbolic, but for me it was that good.