A few months ago I watched this video and saw that Blood Meridian was his fourth favorite of all time. The book seemed really up my alley and I purchased it immediately…
Wow, this book feels like deciphering hieroglyphics.
The story itself is intriguing but I feel as though it’s hidden under layers and layers of dense verbiage that I can’t comprehend. I find myself reading a sentence, thinking that the subject is going in one direction, but then new verbiage is added and I’ve completely lost the direction of the passage. The book feels like a jigsaw puzzle with infinite pieces.
It’s definitely the least-direct book I’ve ever read.
I’ve gotten halfway through the book in the course of three months but I couldn’t honestly tell you where the characters are, their strengths and weaknesses, or any overall theme I’m getting. How do you understand this book?
You’re probably losing the thread because you’re taking like three weeks at this rate to get through a chapter. You don’t have to understand every word. Just plow through and work it out as you go. The judge pretty much spells out the main themes of the book in the second half, at least his perspective on them.
This is how I decipher Russian literature. Power through and ensure I understood the main themes of the section… even if it means reading a plot summary of the chapter