Philip Hensher

A sunken wreck of a novel: Cormac McCarthy’s The Passenger reviewed

A promising plot about a mysterious plane crash is lost in rambling meditations on psychosis, string theory and JFK’s assassination

Like many American novelists, McCarthy has been misled by the conviction that he needs to say something important [Alamy]
  • Comments

  • The Passenger

    Cormac McCarthy

    Picador, pp. 400, £20

  • Stella Maris

    Cormac McCarthy

    Picador, pp. 192, £20

Already a subscriber? Log in

This article is for subscribers only

Get a free bottle of Johnnie Walker Black Label when you subscribe to The Spectator for just £12 in our Black Friday sale

  • Free bottle of Johnnie Walker Black Label whisky, worth £30
  • Unlimited access to our website and app
  • Enjoy Spectator newsletters and podcasts
  • Explore our online archive, going back to 1828
Written by
Philip Hensher
Philip Hensher is professor of Creative Writing at Bath Spa University and the author of 11 novels including A Small Revolution in Germany.

Topics in this article

Read next

Trending

Ian Leslie

The advert that radicalised me

This is one of a series of posters that adorn the walls of Westminster Underground station, through which many MPs and aides travel to work. On Friday, MPs will be voting on whether or not to legalise assisted dying. The posters, funded by a campaign group called Dignity In Dying, present a series of individuals happily contemplating the

Also in Book Reviews

Also by Philip Hensher

Latest

Comments

Black Friday sale: Get 10 weeks for just $1

Unlimited access to the The Spectator, online and via the app

Already a subscriber? Log in