We've got your back. With the Tough-O-Meter, you'll know whether to bring extra layers or Swiss army knives as you summit the literary mountain. (10 = Toughest)
(5) Tree Line
While the plot and major issues in All the Pretty Horses always become clear eventually, the narrator has a tendency to abruptly skip forward in time or refer to key people as only "he" or "she," kind of like that annoying kid who always assumes you know what he's talking about. Key plot points are sometimes left unmentioned at first and have to be inferred, or learned from later conversation between characters. While McCarthy does hold back details from us, he usually makes things clear soon enough.