Cormac McCarthy's The Road is a amazing book, but I don't know if I'd recommend it to everybody.
It stands over other post-apocalyptic stories out there because it's a fresh take on the end of the world but simply beautiful throughout. Sure, there is no life anywhere; the sky drops ash, plants continue to die, no animals live, and what few humans are left have reduced themselves to primitive bands of cannibals. It's the best, cleanest, and prettiest writing used for the ugliest situation.
In the middle of this utterly bleak and horrifying view of the end-of-days is a shred of hope and light. A father and son—alone
It stands over other post-apocalyptic stories out there because it's a fresh take on the end of the world but simply beautiful throughout. Sure, there is no life anywhere; the sky drops ash, plants continue to die, no animals live, and what few humans are left have reduced themselves to primitive bands of cannibals. It's the best, cleanest, and prettiest writing used for the ugliest situation.
In the middle of this utterly bleak and horrifying view of the end-of-days is a shred of hope and light. A father and son—alone
together—connect us to a nightmare. Their journey let's us see pure love in the darkest of times.
Neither are named, and the reason for the apocalypse is never explained, because it's not the point of the story.
Their journey begins somewhere in the American wasteland, their destination is the coast. The evidence of a decaying world tells the father that nothing awaits the pair there, but any goal is important for them to hold onto for their sanity.
The real beauty of the book comes in two: the intimate, subtle interactions between father and son and the perfectly detailed environment. It’s acssesable enough writing to make you feel like your 10-year-old brother could read this book. But make sure you keep his grubby, immature hands off this book, because it should only be read by adults.
See, this book is incredibly depressing, which brings up the question of reading for entertainment. There were days I simply could not pick up the book and read it, fearing what would come next. Somedays I didn’t want to be exposed to the emotions the book brought forth. It made me question why I read books. Normally, books are my hobby, I read them for fun. But what happens when your hobby drags you through the mud and garbage and makes your macho ego feel like cuddling up with a box of tissues and producing waterfalls? It was hard, and more than a few times I considered switching to something lighter.
But I marched on, much like the two central characters in The Road, and in the end I was glad I read it. This book made me feel, it made me think and consider how lucky I am to live in a society of relative normalcy, where things are stable and I don’t have to dig through trash to survive. I felt emotions I never felt, and I got to watch a true master at work. Cormac McCarthy’s knowledge and control over the English language makes him a true rarity among writers, and I recommend you read something of his before you die. There’s no way to describe it, you’ll just have to pick it the book up yourself.
P.S. Hollywood made a movie after the book, and it’s quite brilliant. Of course, for legal reasons, I have to say the book was better. But it stars Viggo Mortensen, and if that’s not reason enough to watch the movie, leave.
Neither are named, and the reason for the apocalypse is never explained, because it's not the point of the story.
Their journey begins somewhere in the American wasteland, their destination is the coast. The evidence of a decaying world tells the father that nothing awaits the pair there, but any goal is important for them to hold onto for their sanity.
Food is unbelievably scarce; they starve constantly. They hide nightly like rats, building fires they pray goes unnoticed. The child is afraid, sad and lonely, without a mother who took her life years ago. Death surrounds the broken family as they trudge on, fighting the elements of the physical world and the fears inside their heads for a better tomorrow. Although you get the feeling early on that a good day never comes. There a few high points here and there but mostly it's exposed suffering.
The real beauty of the book comes in two: the intimate, subtle interactions between father and son and the perfectly detailed environment. It’s acssesable enough writing to make you feel like your 10-year-old brother could read this book. But make sure you keep his grubby, immature hands off this book, because it should only be read by adults.
See, this book is incredibly depressing, which brings up the question of reading for entertainment. There were days I simply could not pick up the book and read it, fearing what would come next. Somedays I didn’t want to be exposed to the emotions the book brought forth. It made me question why I read books. Normally, books are my hobby, I read them for fun. But what happens when your hobby drags you through the mud and garbage and makes your macho ego feel like cuddling up with a box of tissues and producing waterfalls? It was hard, and more than a few times I considered switching to something lighter.
But I marched on, much like the two central characters in The Road, and in the end I was glad I read it. This book made me feel, it made me think and consider how lucky I am to live in a society of relative normalcy, where things are stable and I don’t have to dig through trash to survive. I felt emotions I never felt, and I got to watch a true master at work. Cormac McCarthy’s knowledge and control over the English language makes him a true rarity among writers, and I recommend you read something of his before you die. There’s no way to describe it, you’ll just have to pick it the book up yourself.
P.S. Hollywood made a movie after the book, and it’s quite brilliant. Of course, for legal reasons, I have to say the book was better. But it stars Viggo Mortensen, and if that’s not reason enough to watch the movie, leave.
