Cormac McCarthy, 89, has a new novel — two, actually. And they’re almost perfect.
They just may be the best book of the series.
And, most importantly, they’re the last book, at least as far as I can tell.
I’m not sure what to expect when McCarthy, the man behind “All Men Are Liars,” “Fingersmith” and other classics, completes his two-book masterwork, which comes out tomorrow. My guess is it will be better than previous volumes in both quality and quantity.
And with these two coming, McCarthy will have earned every “bestseller” award given out by the New York Times, People magazine, the New York Public Library and other media, including the Esteemed Public Speaker Award at the Iowa Literary Festival.
His first novel, “The Orchard Keeper of Seville,” published in 2007, is an impressive book, but his first two books are even more special. “The Crossing,” “The Orchard Keeper of Seville” and “The Nightingale” are part of a set of books that are the foundation for his next novel, which he says will be far better.
It all started with four books.
McCarthy is the author of the books “The Orchard Keeper of Seville,” “The Crossing,” “The Nightingale” and “Fingersmith.” He wrote the first four books, and his publisher published them in hardcover, meaning they came in plastic-wrapped, hard-back cardboard sleeves. And then one day his publisher called and said: “We’ve decided to put them in paperback” — because they’re far harder to write in plastic than hardcover.
“I had four books out now. The one out right now is “The Orchard Keeper of Seville,” and that’s hardback. The one out next month: “The Crossing,” and that’s paperback. The third one is “The Nightingale,” and that’s paperback and hardcover. The fourth book, “Fingersmith,” is next Wednesday.
“I thought I was a great writer,” McCarthy says in an interview in Iowa with a TV newswoman. “The first four books were all in hardback and plastic. And the paperback was a challenge for me. But I thought, I am a great writer, and if I’m a great writer, then