I still find it hilarious that it was a Father’s Day selection for Oprah’s Book Club. I mean, the epitome of interns making a recommendation based on the synopsis, without reading the book. Conceptually I get it: it’s a father protecting his child. But I have to imagine an awkward gathering of book club ladies silently staring into their wine glasses, wondering how many others in the discussion group Did Not Finish.

That said, the novel contains magically lyrical passages about being a parent in a dangerous world. There’s no writer like McCarthy.