In my American Literature class I was asked to select a novel that was written by an American author. At first I had no clue what book I would be interested in reading, until I came across one that stood out to me with great detail; The Passenger by Cormac McCarthy. I’ve never read any of McCarthy’s books, so I was very intrigued by her particular writing style. 

As I first opened the back cover of her book, I soon realized that she was awarded with the best selling, Pulitzer prize-winning author. I had high expectations that this book would pull me in and interest me in every way possible. Coming from a person that doesn’t read books often, it’s normally hard for me to get into a book, but McCarthy did not disappoint. 

I began to read the book and noticed that it switches off between the two main characters; Bobby Western and Alicia Western(his sister). McCarthy made it easy to distinguish which perspectives were whose by placing Alicia’s sections in italics. The switching off between the two characters made me more involved in the book, as it gave me a closer insight into more than just one character.  

The Passenger also brings a sense of mystery into the book. This mystery aspect allowed me to figure out the hidden details and persuaded me into continuing the book; which I enjoyed.  Bobby Western is a diver who works for plane crashes. A recent crash that he was involved in had missing parts, including a missing passenger. One quotation in the book that caught my eye in the mystery perspective was: “Somebody got into your room” (McCarthy 210). After the crash happened strange men started following Western around and soon making him move away after the break in. 

The mystery part of the book made me want to keep reading to figure out if something was going to happen to him or if he was just hallucinating. McCarthy did a good job of keeping the reader involved in the book rather than losing interest in the book. 

As I enjoyed the mystery aspect of the book, I also captured the added history and religion  McCarthy added into the book, which helped me connect to the book, making it an easier read for me. “He moved to a shack out on the dunes just south of Bay St Louis” (McCarthy 271). This quote shows how Western original started with a lot of money and now has none. I related this part of the book to The Great Gatsby book. In the beginning Gatsby had a lot of money that was given to him, but in the end he soon loses all his money. 

Overall I would recommend this book to someone who is interested in mystery and enjoys a longer read. McCarthy did a great job with details and word choices that were definitely additives into The Passenger.