McCarthy was born in Rhode Island but raised in Tennessee. His first novel, The Orchard Keeper, published in 1962, introduced McCarthy’s characteristic sense of place and themes of family, ostracization, and guilt. Since The Orchard Keeper, McCarthy’s 11 published novels have developed his experimental voice and structure.

McCarthy’s first four novels The Orchard Keeper, Outer Dark (1968), Child of God (1973), and Suttree (1979) are referred to as McCarthy’s Southern period. These novels borrow tropes from the Southern Gothic genre, are set in the American South, and share themes of despair and existential struggle typical of Southern Gothic novels. McCarthy’s fifth novel Blood Meridian, published in 1985, is commonly lauded as his masterpiece. Blood Meridian marks the beginning of McCarthy’s Western era. With this novel, McCarthy turns his attention away from the American South and toward the historical American Southwest. It is an interrogation of history and amorality. Following Blood Meridian, McCarthy wrote three novels known as the Border Trilogy series. This series includes All the Pretty Horses (1992), The Crossing (1994), and Cities of the Plain (1998). Although McCarthy’s works were well received by critics of the literary world, he first came to national and popular prominence with the publication of All the Pretty Horses.