It's not often that I come across a book that I can't say anything negative about. There's usually something in a book that I find repetitive, annoying, or just plain boring. Cormac McCarthy's The Road, though, is in a completely different spectrum. In my previous blog posts I've tried to inject some humor into my writing, but doing that here wouldn't be appropriate. The Road is simply the best book I've ever read.
The Road starts out extremely drearily. It's set in a post-apocalyptic world. Nearly everything is dead. The few remaining humans have devolved to cannibalism. The Road follows a father and son who, after realizing they can't survive another winter so far north, are travelling south. It's eventually revealed that the mother committed suicide right after giving birth to the son, a while before the beginning of the book.
I didn't expect to like The Road when I first started reading it. It isn't action packed. It's simply beautiful and moving.
My favorite part of The Road is how little background information McCarthy gives you. The reader is given no details about the cataclysmic event that caused the world to become so lifeless.. The father and son's names are not given. This all leads to a sense of cloudiness and confusion, which fits very well with the post-apocalyptic theme.
There isn't much more you can say about The Road. It's simply an amazing book. I don't want to give anymore plot details, lest I give anything away. I realize this post is extremely short compared to the others, but that's merely because there is so little rant about with The Road. Go out and read it right now. Trust me, it will change your life.
