Stella Maris

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Cormac McCarthy: Stella Maris (2023, Pan Macmillan)

English language

Published Aug. 6, 2023 by Pan Macmillan.

ISBN:
978-0-330-45745-3
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5 stars (1 review)

4 editions

reviewed Stella Maris by Cormac McCarthy (The Passenger, #2)

A Dialogue as a Parting Gift

5 stars

Cormac McCarthy concluded his life with two books about two siblings, brother Bobby (the protagonist of the excellent The Passenger) and sister Alicia of Stella Maris. The former is a physics whiz, the latter a maths genius. The trouble (or karma) of their family, including their father's involvement with the Manhattan Project, haunt them.

Both books are philosophical musings on meaning and structure in a strange life. This one is a real gift. The entire story is a dialogue between Alicia and a counsellor in the Stella Maris institute. Alicia muses on life and maths. The dialogues are like Plato's, with different big ideas being drawn out and then punctuated with a touching story of family, hallucinatory friendship, longing and heartache. The dialogue evolves over the 'sessions' so seamlessly that it is impossible not to get lost on the journey with the duo. The questioner often pulls back …