Monday, August 30, 2010

The Road, by Cormac McCarthy



This is a novel so bleak and harrowing that you never learn the names of the two main characters. A father and son struggle to survive under such bleak circumstances that even the father's identity has been stripped away to the extent that at one point, encountering his reflection in a mirror, he nearly raises his pistol to shoot himself.

At least 6 or 7 years have gone by after a cataclysmic event covers the world in ash, blots out the sun, and destroys all plant life. What remains in the ruins of habitation has been thoroughly, desperately, plundered for any objects of sustenance or survival.

Before the novel ended, I found myself wondering whether all slivers of hope would also be a casualty in their lives.

Terribly brutal but still strangely fascinating to read!

And here's a few photos that seemed to capture the mood of this novel.


6 comments:

Yolanda said...

Ooohh I like how you took photos to go along with the book. Love that old truck!

Maria said...

I'm always fascinated by the scope of your reading interests. Me, I think I'm shallow. I don't think I could handle this novel.

Reds said...

Not my kind of book - but love your shots that go along with it!

pat said...

I haven't read this one yet; I am on the fence over whether I want something this bleak rattling around in my memory banks... Great idea with the photos! Have you done a BW conversion on them to add to the atmosphere of the book?

If you like to try another baseball-themed book (without a lot of baseball in it), try "Last Days of Summer" by Steve Kluger. It's written as an exchange of letters, etc. between a young boy and his favorite baseball player, and the relationship that develops between them. One of my faves, in spite of the rough language (yeah, I'm a prude...what you read stays in your memory banks, and I don't like that kind of stuff in there) Anyway, try the book. It's lots of fun!

KRISTIE said...

love the pping on the truck shot

Nicki said...

Love the truck and abandoned building - very moody. The book sounds rather depressing - hopefully it has an uplifting ending. (oh, by the way, baseball itself doesn't scare me - just the prospect of having to endure any more of it than is absolutely necessary) :)