The Road – Cormac McCarthy

100-Word (or Less) Synopsis: [from the dustjacket] A father and his son walk alone through burned America. Nothing moves in the ravaged landscape save the ash on the wind. It is cold enough to crack stones, and when the snow falls it is gray. The sky is dark. Their destination is the coast, although they don’t know what, if anything, awaits them there. They have nothing; just a pistol to defend themselves against the lawless bands that stalk the road, the clothes they are wearing, a cart of scavenged food—and each other.

Expectation: A fast-paced apocalyptic survival tale.

Reality: A slow-burn family drama that packs a lot of understated horror and emotional attachment to the main characters into the rich prose.

Recommended For: Fans of high-brow horror.

Why I Read It: Back in 2008, when I finished this, it was recently published in paperback, and I remember it being all the rage.

My Take:

This review was originally published on Goodreads in 2008. Throughout the year, I’ll be working through my book review archives and posting flashback reviews with some current-day commentary. I hope you enjoy this trip down memory lane as much as I do.  

One of the most captivating and interesting books I have ever read. I went in with no expectations, and really no idea of the story, and I think that allowed me to cut away the hype and read the novel through clear eyes.

I won't give away plot details, but I will say that the novel is not terribly exciting — and that is what makes it so good. I have read post-apocalyptic books before (most notably, Stephen King's “The Stand”), but this one was different.

The vivid descriptions that McCarthy creates, and the off-kilter prose all require large amounts of concentration, but I think it makes you even more wrapped up in the story.

For the most part, it focuses on the mundane aspects of life...the day to day survival of the two main characters. So, when something of note does happen it makes it exciting.

The father/son relationship is real and heartbreaking and that is what makes the story even more affective. I'm sure that this novel will stay with me for some time.

[2021 perspective] Very rarely will I re-read a book, but revisiting this review has me thinking it might be worth the effort as I’d likely connect with different aspects of the story than I did in my mid-20s.

I haven’t read another McCarthy novel — mainly because I hated the film adaptation of “No Country for Old Men” — but I have recommended this novel to many people and everyone almost uniformly loves it, which is surprising given how dark it is. Additionally, the film adaption is fantastic and true to the story.

That’s often what I think about now when my thoughts shift back to this version of the apocalypse. Specifically, the scene where Charlize Theron fills up the bathtub with fresh water as the shit starts to hit the fan. I’ve filed it away as a necessity if we’re faced with a similar, possibly nuclear, disaster!

Both versions of this story come highly recommended.

Rating (story): 4/5 stars

Rating (narration): N/A

Formats: Paperback (personal library)

Dates read: August 17 - 23, 2008

Multi-tasking: N/A