Book Review - "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy

Cayne-Abel · 07-23-2008, 10:46 PM

This will be less of a full-blown "review" and more of a few quick things I want to say about this book.

A summary of the plot: a father and son try to survive in a post-apocalyptic world. The earth is almost entirely devoid of life, and literally covered in ash. It has been roughly 7 years since the world burned.

I will be as blunt as possible: this book has left me an emotional wreck. I read it months ago, and I still can't stop thinking about it.

I can understand how some might find the relative monotony of the father and son's days and weeks to be boring, but to me, it only contributed to the feeling of horror as I was reading through the book. It reminds the reader that these two (and everyone else left alive) are fated to a life of fear, cold, ash, darkness, and, above all, perpetual starvation and lonliness. The description of their daily fight for survival is told in a matter-of-fact, indifferent tone - almost as if the writer has been traveling with the main characters for years, and is as emotionally-devastated and drained as they are.

I've been staring at the screen for 10 minutes trying to explain why this book hits me so hard...but I don't know how...so I won't. Read it.

JSN · 07-23-2008, 10:53 PM

already done did dat! very good book. i like how classical yet modern it was.

CardinalLaw · 07-24-2008, 01:12 AM

Great book. It really does leave you an emotional wreck. From the beginning, you just know in the back of your head that things wont end well. Its amazing you the book fills you with a sense of dread at what they will go through next, but you still cant help but turn the page and keep reading. Its a fairly short book and its a quick read, but you'll probably want to read it again. I read it over a weekend, returned it (yes, I use the public library, and no, Im not 65), but couldnt stop thinking about it, so I picked it up a week later and read it again.

They are making it into a movie, which I didnt think I would like, but after seeing what they did with another McCarthy book- No Country for Old Men- I am very, very excited about it. Viggo Mortenson, Guy Pearce, Robert Duvall, Michael K. Williams (Omar from the wire)- an absolutely amazing cast. I dont know how they will do some of the things from the book, though.

JSN · 07-24-2008, 01:15 AM

it's crazy to think they'll even need a cast. i think it would work well to have only the dad and the nice guy at the ned be played by name actors (and maybe the rest of that family), and then everyone else is unknown to give you a feel for the strangeness of them all. you should be like, "hey look guy peace as the cannibal radier! cool!"

you should be like, "who is this fuckface? is he a cannibal raider?"

**Zankou** · 07-24-2008, 01:37 AM

It was excellent, but Blood Meridian ... now that was ridiculous. One of the best American fiction books of this century.

JSN · 07-24-2008, 01:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zankou

It was excellent, but Blood Meridian ... now that was ridiculous. One of the best American fiction books of this century.

i could even buy THE best. pynchon's great novels undoubtably more brilliant in terms of shear genius and range of knowledge, but blood meridian is so much more structurally concise and economical. that reminds me, i have to read the good book and then read blood mridian again to see what else i can pick up on. i just know there's tons of biblical imagery i be missing.

johnsic · 07-24-2008, 03:08 AM

I bought No Country For Old Men from a sale and its amazing. I am constantly reading bits and pieces of it again.

After I finish reading Chuck Palahniuks Diary and Lullaby Im going to buy The Road and BLood Meridian. I have heard so much praise on both of them that I HAVE to buy them

**brackis1** · 07-24-2008, 03:09 AM

Damn we should get a gheyberry book club together; I really need someone to give my leisure reading a good kick in the pants.

JSN · 07-24-2008, 03:11 AM

i would read the 2 mccarthy books between the palaniuk ones. the chuckster can be pretty formulaic, although lullaby wasn't as bad in that respect. a lot of them like fight club, choke, and survivor are nearly identical.

Quote:

Originally Posted by brackis1

Damn we should get a gheyberry book club together; I really need someone to give my leisure reading a good kick in the pants.

someone find me a contemporary american author near equal to mccarthy. i'm quickly running out of rading material, and i can only read nonfiction as a subject piques my interest.

**brackis1** · 07-24-2008, 03:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSN

i would read the 2 mccarthy books between the palaniuk ones. the chuckster can be pretty formulaic, although lullaby wasn't as bad in that respect. a lot of them like fight club, choke, and survivor are nearly identical.

someone find me a contemporary american author near equal to mccarthy. i'm quickly running out of rading material, and i can only read nonfiction as a subject piques my interest.

Lets do it.
Seriously, nothing like public humility to force me to read a book so I can discuss it (or be kicked out of the group and be forever known as an idiot)