NOVEMBER 17, 2009
The Road ~ Cormac McCarthy
*****reviewed by bas bleu
Haunting!
A while back, I read a library blog on the topic of books that really scare you. One respondent selected The Road, by Cormac McCarthy, as her pick. I have spent the last month immersed in teaching The Hunger Games, a well-written story about a future dystopic world. The Road appealed to me because it takes dystopia one step further and gives the reader a horrifying glimpse of a post-apocalyptic future.
An unnamed cataclysmic event results in the end of civilization as we know it. Few humans are left alive in the ash-shrouded wasteland of our planet. A man and his young son decide that their best chance for survival is to head south. The story follows their journey, where they face near-starvation due to an almost total depletion of food stores as well as possible death at the hands of roving bands of cannibals, who have solved their own food shortage by hunting down fellow humans.
The writing is spare and lyrical. It is not a book you will enjoy reading, but rather one you will appreciate having read. The Road is a haunting story that remains with you long after you have turned the last page. The movie version is set to be released this month, but you know you always like the book better anyway, so read it!
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Comments
CarolK said, on Nov. 17 at 8:09AM
Our book discussion group chose this one a few years back. To say it is haunting, is just. Just look at the cover, a black, empty wasteland. It is a classic in apocalyptic fiction. The Road has stayed with many of our book group members. We come back to it frequently in other discussions. Few books have stimulated as much discussion as this one did.
As bas bleu stated the movie is due to be released this month. Seems an unnatural pick to release in the holiday season. You have to wonder if that was calculated? Is is because it is an expected blockbuster and a potentially high grossing film? or it could be in line for Oscar nominations. Viggo Mortensen (Man) is recognizable from other films (Appaloosa) but Kodi Smit-McPhee (Boy) is not. Robert Duvall, a favorite actor of mine is also in the film. Already released in other countries some reviewers felt it was a difficult movie to watch. You can put the book down but the movie is viewed in one seating, at least in theaters, seen in all its sad desperation. I am not certain I want to see it immediately on its release but am interested to see how Hollywood handles the story.
Have any other post-apocalyptic novels stayed with you? One that comes back to me is Lucifer's Hammer by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. This one is considered sci-fi, which many are, a noted difference between it and The Road.
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bas bleu said, on Nov. 19 at 12:52PM
On the Beach, by Nevil Shute
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bas bleu said, on Nov. 19 at 2:56PM
I have read some intriguing reviews of the upcoming movie for The Road...I, too, might wait to watch it on DVD so I can hit pause and walk away when I need to...the review stated that it is a movie you won't be watching more than once!
SAXTON B. LITTLE FREE