Katie, of Katie's Cafe, gave me The Road by Cormac McCarthy for Christmas this year. Ian alwyas seems to be going off about Cormac McCarthy and how great he is. I've decided that if Cormac is good enough for Ian and Matt Damon, then he's good enough for me.The Road is a post apocalyptic tale about a father and his son and their journey to the South. The scene that McCarthy paints is a chilling wasteland of death and decay. The world has been destroyed and polluted and seems to be in a state of perpetual winter. Everything is black; either scorched or covered in black ash and nothing lives except for the few remaining humans who roam the earth, scavenging for food, supplies, or anything that will keep them alive.
I really loved this book. It is both beautiful and terrifying. The little boy and his Papa share a very tender relationship. I've never found myself so concerned for characters in a book before. But I must warn, that this book is not for the light of heart. Father and son are put through some shocking and awful ordeals that are both violent and disgusting. There are parts that will leave you sick to your stomach.
I've decided that the reason that this book is so freaky is not only because of what McCarthy says but also because of what he doesn't say. We never find out the characters names, the time frame for when these events are taking place, or where they are. It gives the reader nothing to hold on to or to orient themselves to. You find yourself almost as lost as the young boy and his Papa. For me, the best example of this, and the one that freaked me out the most, was not knowing why the little boy and his Papa were so afraid to meet other people while traveling on the road.
To find out, you'll have to go down The Road yourself.
