The Road

A stirring post-apocalyptic novel.

Cormac McCarthy, one of my all-time favorite authors, wrote The Road to universal critical acclaim in 2006.  I originally read The Road a few years ago and was moved by the powerful emotional connection between father and son and the vivid environmental descriptions of a demolished earth.  McCarthy's brutal and direct writing style translates seamlessly to the post-apocalyptic genre, and the often-frantic pace of the story is easy to be sucked into.  As purely entertaining as the story is though, there is so much more to it.

 The vision of an earth with a shattered biosphere is eye-opening; The Road definitely has one of the best post-apocalyptic atmospheres ever.  It does still contain much of what you would expect in the genre: people reduced to their basest instincts of survival, cities left in ruins, and the lack of verdant life.  But it goes a step further: there is no vegetation in McCarthy's work whatsoever.  Humanity is facing certain extinction in the near future.  It's the utter lack of hope, combined with the characters' stubborn perseverance, that makes this story so enticing.

And of course, the connection between father and son as they endure in their bleak world is palpable.  McCarthy's forlorn narration will get you in the shoes of the characters and the desire to see if they can escape the insane remnants of humanity drove me on and on.  This is a very powerful aspect of the 2009 movie as well, Viggo Mortensen and Kodi Smit-McPhee doing a phenomenal job with the father and son.  I personally didn't like the movie as much as the novel, but it's worth mentioning that it's also a great experience.

Conclusion: 4/5 - While not a completely original post-apocalyptic story, both the novel and movie are well worth experiencing.