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Book Review of The Road

The Road
The Road
Author: Cormac McCarthy
Genres: Literature & Fiction, Reference
Book Type: Paperback
paigu avatar reviewed on + 120 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2


I casually flipped through this book last night before going to bed, and ended up staying up until 3AM to finish reading this! One of the few books to really scare me (I couldn't walk around my dark apartment afterwards) and also to move me to tears. Hard to really categorize this book; calling it an "apocalypse book" would capture the dark, disturbing atmosphere and brutal nature, but would not emphasize the beautiful father/son story. I cried at the contrast between the mother and the father in terms of being mentally strong enough to care for their baby. The book may not have much detail, background story, or even much conversation...but the terse, brief sentences only enhance the desperation of the situation. When one is starving to death, one probably doesn't have much time to compose long cohesive sentences!

I guess since this book got labeled an "Oprah" book, it unfortunately got typecast to be of a certain genre. This book is neither happy nor does it have that "Oprah attitude" (you know, cheer for the quirky/odd character who overcomes her difficulties in life!). This book is blunt, brutal, and real.