The Road (Book Review)

The Road is written by Cormac McCarthy, and is fiction that has an air of science fiction to it. The book is about a man and his son, who are living years later in a post-apocalyptic world and the setting is in the United States. Everything is destroyed, burned, and ravaged through. The main characters are a man and his son who are nameless and that’s how they are referred to throughout the book. They are left with nothing except for a cart of some food, supplies, and the clothes on their back. The man and the boy are trying to make their way towards the South, because the winter in the North is just too cold too handle without heat. There is barely any food left and even less people. Many have died of starvation, but most have died because of the tragic event that occurred. On their way South on the road (which is the highway), they encounter challenges, such as starvation, illness, and even cannibals. Every single day they are cautious about their surroundings and watchful for lawless groups that roam the road and attack, and sometimes eat, people, in able to steal whatever that person has left on them. The man and the boy were lucky enough to find some sort of foodstuff, which kept them alive. Their journey leads the man to question his beliefs and understandings, but most of all, it brings the man and his son closer together. Their love is the only thing helping them fight through their struggles. The end of this book is saddening and also a bit surprising.

This was a really great book. It is a frightening depiction of what life would be like if ever such an event like the one portrayed in the book happened. The author, McCarthy, has a unique style of writing that does take getting used to. One of his gifts is his way of describing and giving the reader every single little detail of the landscape around the main characters. His use of words creates vivid and alarming images that makes the reader feel as though they are standing right there and seeing those same surroundings. This book was a real page-turner and I enjoyed reading it.

I would recommend this book to mature people. The journey the man and his son are on is both stirring and chilling. Parts of it are gory and yet real. I chose this book because I heard that it was really good, filled with adventure, twisted action, and had beautiful and haunting words. When I finished this book, it had fulfilled all of its’ hype. McCarthy’s writing makes the reader pay close attention to the details and the meanings of the text, and leaves them wanting more.