First there was bright light and rumble, and dim of light in the horizon. Now, years later everything is charred and burned, only ash moving in the dead world. In this scorched world, a unnamed duo of father and son wander the road onward, in hope of something better. The days are getting colder and darker and they have only theirselves and small revolver to defend their lives. 

The end of it all

The world of The Road is harsh and unforgiving. The exact nature of disaster is never revealed but small hints here and there suggest possible nuclear war or meteor strike. Although what brought the end does not matter anymore, as many other things in the post-destruction world. There is no one to care anymore. Everyhing civilized is dead and gone. The only thing that matters is to survive to next day. Everybody still alive are suffering, sick, dirty and hungry. Even the name of man and boy are not told in book, as if things like those bear no signifigance anymore. No empowering survival fantasies can be found here.

But although the world might be dying, there is strong contrast in boy’s and father’s love and caring for each other.  When everything else is lost, love remains.  

 

Although father and son are almost only characters in the book, it does not mean they are alone in the world. The remaining survivors have organized into different groups and there is always danger of being attacked and killed. Our antagonists come across few people in the book and not all of them are friendly. Sometimes these encounters can develop deadly so violence is to be expected in the story.

 

The Road is a literary masterpiece. Cormac McCarthy writes in his own style, combining plain and laconic text into one of the most horrifying descriptions written about the last days of humanity. And although the writing style is quite laconic, The Road is no simple read, nor to be read in a hurry. The carefully chosen words and sentences paint a world full of death and emptiness, but also a world of it’s own between the son and father. The story can also seen as a metaphor of life, where road describes our lives, challenges and setbacks. 

 

Whether you are fan of post-apocalyptic books or not, i definetly suggest you to read this book. The Road is a fantastic story of what we were, what we can become and what we are willing to do if everyhing around us is lost. This book will leave you breathless and thinking about the road long after you have finished the book. 

  

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