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Child of God

Cormac McCarthy · 1973 · Novel

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It extended the Southern Gothic tradition by presenting an unflinching, starkly violent, and morally ambiguous portrait of human depravity and isolation in the American South.

What it is

The novel chronicles the descent of Lester Ballard, a violent and isolated outcast, into extreme depravity and necrophilia in rural Appalachia. Driven from society, he commits increasingly horrific acts, becoming a grotesque figure of pure evil.

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