Stella Maris (The Passenger, #2) by Cormac McCarthy

This book is a premium first copy, similar to the original but not the original.

Stella Maris is the companion novel to The Passenger, focusing entirely on Alicia Western, the brilliant but mentally unstable sister of Bobby Western. Set in 1972, the story unfolds through transcripts of Alicia’s conversations with a psychiatrist at Stella Maris, a psychiatric hospital where she has admitted herself.

Alicia, a gifted mathematician, refuses to accept reality as most people see it. She is haunted by hallucinations, including a grotesque figure called The Thalidomide Kid. Through her dialogue, she discusses quantum mechanics, mathematics, consciousness, and her complex love for her brother, Bobby. She rejects conventional psychiatry and seems resigned to her fate, leading to a tragic and philosophical meditation on madness, genius, and the nature of existence.

Unlike The Passenger, which has a mystery-thriller element, Stella Maris is introspective and philosophical, diving deep into Alicia’s mind rather than external events. The novel provides insight into her psyche but offers no clear answers, making it a haunting, poetic exploration of her final days.