--- product_id: 8933492 title: "C" brand: "tom mccarthy" price: "£19.21" currency: GBP in_stock: true reviews_count: 8 url: https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/8933492-c store_origin: GB region: Great Britain --- # C **Brand:** tom mccarthy **Price:** £19.21 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** C by tom mccarthy - **How much does it cost?** £19.21 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.co.uk](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/8933492-c) ## Best For - tom mccarthy enthusiasts ## Why This Product - Trusted tom mccarthy brand quality - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description C ## Images ![C - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51oWaLpGeSL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ The Most Beautifully Annoying Book I've Ever Read *by M***E on Reviewed in the United States on August 1, 2012* C is, without a doubt, one of the most frustratingly brilliant and beautifully wearisome novels I've read in a very long time, if ever. Rather than a typical story, the book is one long coded message, a cypher of meaning that is so densely structured and intricately constructed that it is the quintessential English Lit Major's wet dream.The novel contains four sections. The first follows Serge as he grows up in his father's mansion, which doubles as a preparatory school for deaf children who learn to talk. The second sees Serge join the military as an aerial observer in the war. The third follows him through a typically disillusioned (and drug-infused) college experience. The final sends Serge off to Egypt to discuss Her Majesty's communications systems as they are set up among the jumbled tombs of the desert. Each segment bleeds into the other, and the symbols and tropes of each ricochet back and forth, exposing connections, confidences, meanings, and codes.What does C stand for? A lot of things. The symbol for carbon - the basis for life. It also stands for the complexity of communication, the chaos of codes, and the crucible of context. I think, even more so, it is a symbol itself of life interrupted. The book is very much about the cyclical nature of the world, how the signals we create simply by living weave and repeat throughout existence, but Serge's signals seem aborted and flattened (he has a hard time with perspective), and so the C's he is constantly encountering do as much to expose those connections as to sever them. Therefore, instead of the O of order, openness, and oblivion, a piece seems to be missing, creating the C of calamity, confusion, and collision. S's, too, are prevalent throughout the book, and not just in the names of our key players. S's, I assume represent the C's turned back on themselves, one-half of the symbol of eternity, the flowing forward and then backward of life, the looped repetition of failure and hope.This probably sounds pretentious and impenetrable to most of you. Such is the book. Although I loved the craft of the writing -- it is impossible not to see the breath-taking architectural delicacy of the novel's themes -- it is highly alienating. In fact, the first five or six pages of the book describe a man trying to find his way into the Carrefax's home. The descriptions of the man weaving through gardens, groves, around walls and past hedges were so baffling and complicated that I must have re-read them half a dozen times. I could never clearly picture where this man was or what he was doing. It wasn't until the sixth read that I realized that that was probably the point. The final passage of the novel, during which Serge travels on a boat down the Nile, features multiple conversations in multiple languages about the collusion and conflicts between multiple cultures. It is similarly distancing. You will need to be an historian with the command of at least four languages and a working knowledge of Egyptian mythology to even glimpse the depth of McCarthy's meaning. Again, perhaps the disorientation is the point. Also, meaning. After all, the book reads like the perfectly described strata of TV static. If you're wondering what the message is, I think it is this: we must not stop trying to figure out what it means. Not just the book, but the circle of life, the circle none of us will ever be able to complete, our death chopping off a piece, leaving us all in the C of a coffin, the consolation of consternation.I have now read the book twice, and although a second reading helped me understand much more than the first time around, it also more clearly showed my dearth of knowledge. I drew closer to and further from the narrative. Even the most patient of readers is bound to feel similarly exhausted and humbled by the novel. While I truly loved the book, I also found myself annoyed by its encoded aloofness. I know I will be reading it again in the future, and with great relish, but I also know that there are very few people in my circle of friends to whom I would recommend it. It's not entertaining in the way of most novels. Imagine removing the panels of a computer and showing the complex innards to a child, explaining that this is what makes it play music, videos, and games. The child might be bored and annoyed or may be bewilderingly enthralled. If you feel like you might be the latter, pick up this book. It's a joy to figure out, but a frustration when you learn that, perhaps, there is no way you will ever do so completely, just like with life. ### ⭐⭐⭐ Literary Is As Literary Does *by G***N on Reviewed in the United States on November 22, 2010* Remember the mid-'90s tune "Everything Zen" by Bush? Remember how everyone loved the song 'cause it rocked, but no one had any idea what it was really about because the lyrics are a goofy mess of seemingly unrelated phrases and ideas? That's kind of how I felt about Tom McCarthy's uber-literary, Man Booker-shortlisted novel C.There's a pretty straightforward story here that I enjoyed strictly on a "beat and rhythm" level. And then there's what it really means. McCarthy creates a laundry list of themes, images and ideas that recur throughout the novel. The meaning of these in terms of how they fit together and complement each other and the story holistically is frequently tough to decipher.The story is Serge Carrefax's, who is born to English wealth right before the turn of the 20th century. Serge's father runs a school to teach deaf children to talk and experiments with various wireless communication technologies, and so Serge becomes infatuated with the burgeoning field of radio from an early age. He fights in World War I as a navigator, parties in post-war London and then moves on to Egypt to scout locations for new communications ventures.Serge is a bit of an odd ball. He finds out early in his life during an art class that he "just can't do perspective: everything he paints is flat." And Serge's lack of perspective -- in the broader sense of the phrase -- is a cornerstone of the story. Serge is an impartial observer to his own life. In fact, oftentimes, the reader is left to form his/her own conclusions about things Serge tells us about, but doesn't understand or doesn't care enough about to explain more fully. Is that his sister he sees having sex in an early scene in the novel? Or is it something else he's describing? It's hard to tell.The novel also has its own unconventional logic and rules, which McCarthy uses to pack in his list of tropes and tricks. For instance, he'll mention something seemingly inconsequential at the time, only to have the idea re-emerge later in a more symbolic context. Serge and some of his fellow soldiers discuss free will vs. determinism, and then soon after, they're building a tunnel to nowhere and no one is in charge of its construction. The effect is disorienting -- it's hard to figure out which instance is the one McCarthy intends you to decode and add to the meaning of the story. And then there is the recurrence of several images and themes: Insects, wireless communication, descriptions of shapes and geometry, and drugs all flit in and out of the novel. What do they all mean?C is not difficult, as some reviewers have purported. But extracting meaning might be. You constantly feel like you're missing something or left out of a joke or not understanding a reference. And that can make reading frustrating at times. There's so much going on here, it's obviously a novel meant to be read several times -- like an Andy Kaufman or David Lynch film is meant to be viewed several times to pick up a little more each time. The story's interesting, but I'm not sure it's enough of a draw to get me to read again. So, three out of five stars for C. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Worth Reading *by S***E on Reviewed in the United States on September 13, 2016* This is the third book I have read from McCarthy and my first review which is interesting in that it’s my least favorite of the three books. One thing I have noticed about McCarthy and the reviews is people either seem to love him or hate him there is no middle ground. This book feels a lot more like a conventional story from McCarthy compared to Satin Island and Remainder both of which I loved. This book actually starts out rather slow and takes time to build up but by the time he is in the Sanatorium I felt fully dragged into the story. What I love about McCarthy and his writing is there always quite a few what I like to call ah-ha moments of insight where he hits you over the head with an idea or concept. This book there are not as many of those. A lot of the reviews on Amazon commented that they really liked the book until the last section where he is in Egypt. I admit I didn’t like that section as much as the rest of the book but there were also some parts of it that I really thought were excellent. Something interesting that I have also noticed is that in all of McCarthy’s books all the main characters in their relationship with women there is always this sort of aloofness, detachment, and even perhaps some built up resentment. I think it’s highlighted more in this book than the others. It’s interesting in the Sanatorium how the attractive girl who is interested in him he is indifferent towards, but the crippled unattractive girl who massages him he desires and pursues. This is one of the things I admire about McCarthy is most of his characters end up doing things, and/or saying things that are unconventional. Even though C is more of a conventional story for McCarthy, if you’re like me and admire the unconventional then C is still a book worth reading. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/8933492-c](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/8933492-c) --- *Product available on Desertcart Great Britain* *Store origin: GB* *Last updated: 2026-04-25*