In Books: The Road

Written By Cormack McCarthy

You may recognize the author Cormack McCarthy as being the writer of the novel upon which the award winning film No Country fro Old Men was based.  I know he was on Oprah's book club list.  That's a turnoff for me too but after seeing No Country for Old Men I had to give this novel a read.

The Book

The story of the road is a simple one but it features real and moving relationships and emotion that make this quick read of a book worth your time. 

The story is set in a post apocalyptic United States and it focuses on a man and his son as they travel the road trying to get to the south before the bitter winter cold kills them.  They face hunger, loneliness, marauders, and mutants on their journey.  The whole trip they must fight for survival and at the same time struggle to remain the "good guys".

McCarthy never shares what caused the destruction of the country.  He doesn't even share the man and his son's names.  These details aren't important.  They aren't what this story is about.  The core of this story focuses on the relationship between the man and his son, and the lost relationship between the man and his wife.  The man is desperate to make a life for his son in a new world that doesn't support such a hope. 

This is not a happy book, but it is a hopeful book and a moving one.  It's mostly humorless but it's real.  The conversations between the father and the son can seem repetitive at times but that's what makes them feel real.  Through whatever has happened this boy is still a young child with young child sensibilities, full of questions and innocence. 

McCarthy takes us on the journey in a vivid and poetic style that makes the book flow off the pages and engulfs you in the world he has created.  Through his words you can nearly feel the cold of the open road.  McCarthy's work feels like classic literature.  The lack of complexity of plot allows you to wrap yourselves in these characters and truly care about what happens to them.  I can't overstate this part of the review enough.  As you read you'll feel like you're walking with these two and what happens to them happens to you.

The Road is a simple quick read but don't be fooled by that comment it's not meant to take away from the impact of the story.  This is easily one of the most personal books I've read in years and I'll be returning to it again and again.

9/10

-Stephen Lackey