Stella Maris

Published in 2022, Stella Maris stands as Cormac McCarthy’s final novel, marking the conclusion of the American novelist’s prolific career. Serving as a companion or, more precisely, an afterword to his notably lengthier novel The Passenger, released in the same year, both works emerged following a 15-year hiatus in McCarthy’s publishing trajectory. The narrative centers around Alicia, a hyperintelligent math genius who voluntarily admits herself to the psychiatric hospital Stella Maris. Engaging in profound metaphysical, mathematical, and philosophical discussions with her psychotherapist, Alicia explores topics such as the meaning of life, her mental apparitions, the existence of an afterlife, and various unconventional subjects. The novel defies easy categorization, resembling a play in the back-and-forth dialogue exchanges but structured in prose fashion.

All quotations and page numbers are referenced from the 2022 Picador edition of Stella Maris.

Content Warning: This book contains graphic depictions of mental illness, death by suicide, suicidal ideation, and incestuous relationships, and it hints at antigay bias and instances of antisemitism.

Plot Summary

The novel commences with the initiation of a series of profound and unconventional therapy sessions between Dr. Michael Cohen and Alicia Western at the psychiatric hospital, Stella Maris.