Published in 2006 by Knopf
4 Stars
Ask any literary critic -- and most discerning readers -- to name the greatest living American novelist, and Cormac McCarthy is sure to surface as a major contender. Best known for his powerful regional fiction (Sutree, the Border Trilogy, Blood Meridian, et al), this dazzling prose stylist crafts tragic, unforgettable stories suffused with violence, alienation, and an undeniably apocalyptic vision. Now, in what we consider McCarthy's best novel to date, the apocalypse itself becomes a set piece. Unfolding in a terrifying future where Armageddon has been waged and lost, The Road traces the odyssey of a father and his young son through a desolate landscape of devastation and danger. Powerful, moving, and extraordinary by any standard, this is McCarthy at his greatest and gravest.
Review: The Road is a REAL post apocalyptic story. There is no technology, no government, no help. This isn't like any other book I've ever read. There is just a sense of pure desolation in this book, and everything about it lends to that sense. The writing style, the imagery, and even the minimal cover all support this bleak feeling. But with the father's relentless need to preserve the innocence of his son and to give him as much safety and comfort as possible we gain a message of compassion and no matter how terrible your surroundings, there is some light on the horizon.
There is a strong focus on little details, that some might call filler, but I think add to the overall emphasis on just how little the characters had. Every meal, every piece of clothing, every possession, is meticulously described like rare treasures because they ARE rare treasures. There's a scene where the father finds a can of coke and gives it to his son, who has no idea what it is. While today people gulp down soda without even thinking about it, they treat this can of coke with reverence, because they know they will never find one ever again. I think that shows just how bleak their world is, and how much the father loves his son. He wanted to give his son that rare treat, that moment of pleasure that we take so much for granted.
Overall The Road is a hopeful book where beauty can be found in the most horrific situations through love. While I don't think The Road is for everyone, I encourage you to push yourself if you're having doubts because it is a fantastic book that will stay with you long after the last page.
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