A taut, chilling novel that plumbs the depths of human degradation, this is the story of Lester Ballard--a violent, dispossessed man, falsely accused of rape--who haunts the hill country of East Tennessee when he is released from jail, preying on the population with his strange lusts. Out of print since 1984.
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A taut, chilling novel that plumbs the depths of human degradation, this is the story of Lester Ballard--a violent, dispossessed man, falsely accused of rape--who haunts the hill country of East Tennessee when he is released from jail, preying on the population with his strange lusts. Out of print since 1984.
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Add this copy of Child of God to cart. $4.12, fair condition, Sold by Goodwill of Colorado rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from COLORADO SPRINGS, CO, UNITED STATES, published 1993 by Vintage.
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Seller's Description:
Fair. This item is in overall acceptable condition. Covers and dust jackets are intact but may have heavy wear including creases, bends, edge wear, curled corners or minor tears as well as stickers or sticker-residue. Pages are intact but may have minor curls, bends or moderate to considerable highlighting/ writing. Binding is intact; however, spine may have heavy wear. Digital codes may not be included and have not been tested to be redeemable and/or active. A well-read copy overall. Please note that all items are donated goods and are in used condition. Orders shipped Monday through Friday! Your purchase helps put people to work and learn life skills to reach their full potential. Orders shipped Monday through Friday. Your purchase helps put people to work and learn life skills to reach their full potential. Thank you!
Add this copy of Child of God to cart. $7.99, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Diamond rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1993 by Vintage.
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Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of Child of God to cart. $7.99, very good condition, Sold by Half Price Books Inc rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1993 by Vintage.
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Seller's Description:
Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of Child of God to cart. $9.00, like new condition, Sold by Browse Awhile Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Tipp City, OH, UNITED STATES, published 1993 by Vintage International.
Add this copy of Child of God to cart. $10.00, new condition, Sold by My Personal Library rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Millersville, PA, UNITED STATES, published 1993 by Vintage.
Add this copy of Child of God to cart. $11.22, new condition, Sold by Ingram Customer Returns Center rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from NV, USA, published 1993 by Vintage.
Add this copy of Child of God Format: Paperback to cart. $11.83, new condition, Sold by indoo rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Avenel, NJ, UNITED STATES, published 1993 by Vintage.
Add this copy of Child of God to cart. $12.09, like new condition, Sold by MI Re-Tale rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dacula, GA, UNITED STATES, published 1993 by Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.
Add this copy of Child of God (Paperback Or Softback) to cart. $13.42, new condition, Sold by BargainBookStores rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Grand Rapids, MI, UNITED STATES, published 1993 by Vintage.
Add this copy of Child of God to cart. $14.57, new condition, Sold by ShopSpell rated 2.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Califon, NJ, UNITED STATES, published 1993 by Vintage.
Having lived in Sevier County since 1995, it's easy to see the insight behind this work. The basic underbelly has diminished, because of the 10 million tourists who visit Great Smoky Mountains National Park yearly, plus the construction of 10K cabins over the past decade, but the main characterization still lurks nearby - too close for comfort?
You'uns know what I'm talking about.
BreeniBooks1
Nov 24, 2007
Gritty and disconcerting
I am late discovering the sparse prose of Cormac McCarthy, as his first book, The Orchard Keeper, was published in 1965, and here I am just beginning to explore this literary genius. Admittedly, my main motivation for seeking out this legendary author was a news story about controversy surrounding a teacher who was suspended and is possibly facing criminal charges for allowing McCarthy's Child of God to make a ninth grade suggested reading list. I felt I was obligated to add another notch to my banned and challenged book belt. Plus, you know Oprah put The Road on her Book Club list and if Oprah says he's worth reading, then the masses must follow.
While I absolutely loathe censorship in any form, for any age, I can fathom some parents challenging Child of God being part of a high school curriculum. It doesn't really fit the benign and boring literature typical of assigned reading. In fact, some students might actually find it stimulating...in more than just an intellectual sense.
McCarthy's 1973 novel, supposedly inspired by true events that occurred in the town of Sevier, Tennessee, tells the disturbing story of Lester Ballard, a man falsely accused of rape, and set free to unleash his deviance upon the townspeople. Whether Lester is a product of his environment or an inwardly doomed being is unclear. McCarthy details Lester's own discovery of his father's suicide early in the book, and the loss of his home and unjust imprisonment may have contributed to his descent into lunacy.
Lester's key obsession is necrophilia, and while he does eventually become a murderer, his first venture into this distorted fetish is with a woman who did not perish by Lester's hands. This serves as a gateway crime in some twisted way. Repeatedly homeless, his victims eventually begin to collect in the hollows of the cave he has claimed as his dwelling. Displayed on ledges, the bodies decompose next to the enormous teddy bears Lester won at a county fair with his most valued possession, his rifle. Ironically, Lester himself appears dull and lifeless, unloved and unable to love, a mere shell of a man lacking emotion and depth.
McCarthy's narrative alternates expertly between sparse bluntness and embellished run on sentences compiled into brief chapters. The novel can be absorbed on many levels. It is all at once a psychological thriller, an existential study and a gruesome horror tale. Dark and foreboding, Child of God makes the Breeni Books required reading list.
