The Road by Cormac McCarthy

Tanya reviewed this book back in September. I thought Dad had written one, too, but I can't find it.

By now, we're probably all aware that it is the story of a father and son traveling together along the road in a post-apocalyptic future with no signs of life other than the few remaining humans. (Technically, there's also some evidence of microorganisms. Both father and son fall ill at some point. And there may have been a dog.)

This world is scary. The few remaining people are those who have managed to survive the intense competition for scarce non-renewable resources—canned food, clothing, weapons, etc. Our pilgrims are constantly on edge, looking both ahead and behind, as they make their way.

There is nothing new in the world, only what survived the unnamed cataclysm, and the father and son go to great lengths to find these boons and protect them from others who would take them. They carry their things in shopping carts, of which there is something of an abundance, as they travel south down the road.

It is a fast read, with constant suspense and occasional action. The subject matter is frequently disturbing. McCarthy spends a lot of time narrating brief, terse conversations between father and son, but also takes care in describing the only vaguely familiar world around them.

The story is simple and straightforward, but also compelling and possibly paradigmatic. This is the story about father and son struggling against the world, reduced to its essence. The characters have no names, they are just the man and his son; they are on a quest, but they don't know their destination, and they never reach it.

There is heavy focus on the father-son relationship, and McCarthy seems to want to convey the attachment, the love, and the sacrifice, but it is hard to tell how much he is succeeding and how much the reader is bringing. Maybe letting the reader imagine the emotional weight constitutes success?