Philipp Meyer

A Globe & Mail 100 Selection Spring, 1849. Eli McCullough is thirteen years old when a band of Comanche storms his Texas homestead and murders his mother and sister, taking him captive. Brave and clever, Eli quickly adapts to Comanche life, carving out a place as the chief's adopted son and waging war against their enemies, including white men—which complicates his sense of loyalty and understanding of who he is. But when disease, starvation, and overwhelming numbers of armed Americans decimate the tribe, Eli finds himself alone. Neither white nor Indian, civilized nor fully wild, he must fashion a place for himself in a world in which he does not fully belong—a journey of adventure, tragedy, and grit that reverberates in the lives of his progeny. Intertwined with Eli's story are those of his son, Peter, a man who bears the emotional cost of his father's drive for power, and Eli's great-granddaughter, Jeannie, a woman who must fight hardened rivals to succeed in a man's world. Philipp Meyer deftly explores how Eli's ruthlessness and steely pragmatism transform subsequent generations of McCulloughs. Love, honor, and even children are sacrificed in the name of ambition, as the family becomes one of the richest powers in Texas, a ranching-and-oil dynasty of unsurpassed wealth and privilege. Yet, like all empires, the McCulloughs must eventually face the consequences of their choices. Harrowing, panoramic, and vividly drawn, The Son is a masterful achievement from a sublime young talent.

The Son

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER NOW A MAJOR TV SERIES starring Pierce Brosnan and co-written by Philipp Meyer The critically acclaimed, New York Times-bestselling epic, a saga of land, blood and power, follows the rise of one unforgettable Texas family from the Comanche raids of the 1800s to the oil booms of the 20th century. Eli McCullough is just twelve years old when a marauding band of Comanche storm his Texas homestead, brutally murder his mother and sister and take him captive. Despite their torture and cruelty, Eli - against all odds - adapts to life with the Comanche, learning their ways and language, taking on a new name, finding a place as the adopted son of the band's chief and fighting their wars against not only other Indians but white men too, which complicates his sense of loyalty, his promised vengeance and his very understanding of self. But when disease, starvation and westward expansion finally decimate the Comanche, Eli is left alone in a world in which he belongs nowhere, neither white nor Indian, civilized nor fully wild. Deftly interweaving Eli’s story with those of his son Peter and his great-granddaughter JA, The Son maps the legacy of Eli’s ruthlessness, his drive to power and his lifelong status as an outsider, even as the McCullough family rises to become one of the richest in Texas, a ranching and oil dynasty that is as resilient and dangerous as the land they claim. Yet, like all empires, the McCulloughs must eventually face the consequences of their choices. Panoramic, deeply evocative and utterly transporting, The Son is a masterpiece American novel - part epic of Texas, part classic coming-of-age story - that combines the narrative prowess of Larry McMurtry with the knife-edge sharpness of Cormac McCarthy. 'Stunning ... a book that for once really does deserve to be called a masterpiece' Kate Atkinson 'Magnificent ... McCarthy's Border Trilogy is a point of reference, as is There Will Be Blood, but it is not fanciful to be reminded of certain passages from Moby-Dick - it's that good'The Times 'Brilliant ... a wonderful novel' Lionel Shriver

Marcy Pursell 

Reading a Western was on my 2023 reading challenge list, and I expected it to be one of my least favorite things that I'd have to trudge through. I originally selected a different Western to read, but then when I decided I wanted to get it over with, searched again for other recommendations. The Son came up on the list, and I nearly discounted it immediately due to it's length of 17h48m in audio format. So, I checked out the other book first, and just couldn't get into the narration. I figured I would give The Son a go, and give up and find something else. BUT, I WAS WRONG. 

This book was narrated/performed by four actors: Will Patton, Kate Mulgrew, Scott Shepherd, and Clifton Collins. I was previously familiar with Will Patton, and his voice is what drew me in. He starts and ends the book as the lead character, Eli McCullough, and the book primarily follows 3 generations of the McCulloughs from the 1840s to the 2010s. I don't think I would have gotten through reading the physical book, but the audiobook, with the different narrators was exceptional. It takes you through life in Texas during those years, from being kidnapped by Native Americans as a child, to being a female in the ranching and oil business, to living near the Mexico border, and the list goes on. I did not expect to like this book at all, let alone to enjoy it at times. The only reason it's not getting 5 stars is because I could have gone with more romance, BUT, this was an excellent book. I learned that AMC came out with two seasons of a TV series based on the book, which I would be intrigued to watch and see how the pages come to life. If you're looking for something new, and aren't sure about the genre, or length of the read, I urge you to give it a chance. It will be worth it.

EDIT: After further retrospection, I think it also reminds me of the TV series Yellowstone. It's a story about a family through different generations living on their land, and living their life. While I haven't watched 1883 or 1923, I imagine it's similar in the generational stories they're telling.

Gary Homewood

Multi-generational family history saga of a Texan oil family. Often bloody, well detailed and constructed.

Part epic of Texas, part classic coming-of-age story, part unflinching portrait of the bloody price of power, this is a novel that maps the legacy of violence in the American West through the lives of the McCulloughs, an ambitious family as resilient and dangerous as the land they claim. Spring, 1849. Eli McCullough is thirteen years old when a marauding band of Comanches takes him captive. Brave and clever, Eli quickly adapts to life among the Comanches, learning their ways and waging war against their enemies, including white men, which complicates his sense of loyalty and understanding of who he is. But when disease, starvation, and overwhelming numbers of armed Americans decimate the tribe, Eli finds himself alone. Neither white nor Indian, civilized nor fully wild, he must carve a place for himself in a world in which he does not fully belong, a journey of adventure, tragedy, hardship, grit, and luck that reverberates in the lives of his progeny.

The son

Clotilde

Will Vunderink

Maic D

Klaus Eck

Andrew John Kinney

Lisa

Rosie Yakob 

Pate Hubbard

Sophia Minetos

Kate R

Liz Prinz

Anthony Sabourin

Arnav Shah

Benjamin Erwin

Wynn Netherland

Jennifer Rittall

Part epic of Texas, part classic coming-of-age story, part unflinching portrait of the bloody price of power, The Son is an utterly transporting novel that maps the legacy of violence in the American West through the lives of the McCulloughs, an ambitious family as resilient and dangerous as the land they claim. Love, honour, children are sacrificed in the name of ambition, as the family becomes one of the richest powers in Texas, a dynasty of unsurpassed wealth and privilege. Yet, like all empires, the McCulloughs must eventually face the consequences of their choices.

The Son

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