Thursday, January 7, 2010

The Road

The Road Film Tie-In

It's a post-apocalyptic world, but the apocalypse isn't due to zombies for a change.  In fact, there's no explanation given for humanity's downfall in Cormac McCarthy's Pulitzer Prize winner The Road. It doesn't really matter.  You can insert your own reason:  divine wrath, supervolcanoes, total war, environmental devastation, etc.  The important thing is that it has happened, and the sad remnants of the human race are engaged in a nasty, seemingly futile struggle for survival in a dead world.  The tale of a father and son journeying in desperation through the cold and the ash is the most gripping novel I've read in a long time, full of incredible sadness, beauty, and horror.  Reading it is a little like being punched repeatedly in the stomach.  Nevertheless, it remains quiet and understated, which contributes to the sense of reality - McCarthy leaves you feeling that this is exactly how a post-apocalyptic world would be.  

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