Trying to imagine a post-apocalyptic world where the only survivors left are bands of cannibals, their captives, and a few stragglers fighting for survival is not something that one can easily ask the imagination to partake in. Somehow though, Cormac McCarthy is able to lure you into his horrific nightmare in his novel The Road.

The book takes place quite some time after an unexplained catastrophe has wiped out most of the human race and America has become an ash-covered and barren landscape. Although it is not specifically said there are many hints throughout the book that suggests that this destruction is worldwide.

What really enticed me was the relationship between the father and his son and McCarthy tried very hard to emphasize this to the reader. With nothing left in this charred world but each other the two lean on one another as their fight for survival never ceases. They are each other’s conscience during this time and their love and compassion for each other is what makes this book so tantalizing. The father is the well traveled one who has seen the good and bad of mankind and acts as the voice of reason. The boy is the compassionate one who does not let his own needs get in the way of those who he wants to help. I must admit that I have never read a book that kept me on the edge like this book did and I could never put the book down, no matter how hard I tried.
   
The title comes from that of the road that they are journeying on. However, I believe that the title also refers to life’s journey across a road with many twists and turns and no one ever knows what is coming around that next corner.

When reading this book I noticed that there are many reoccurring events that unfold. This is not an action packed book where gunfire is an often occurrence, but rather it is a book about a constant fight of survival where one’s intuition and intellect are often their greatest allies. The man and the boy are continually battling the harsh weather conditions, starvation, and trying to avoid the cannibals that stalk the land. They are traveling towards the coast in the hopes of finding friendlier climate conditions, some sort of civilization, and maybe just maybe their salvation.
   
Another battle that transpires in McCarthy’s book is the battle that mankind has been fighting since the beginning and that is the battle of good vs. evil. In the book the man constantly reminds the boy that they are the “good guys” and the people that try to kill them and eat other people are the “bad guys.” In the end it seems that there can be no victor as the world that they used to know crumbles around them.

Although I struggled with it at first I grew to love McCarthy’s writing style. I love how he lets your imagination run free and explore its own possibilities. He allows the reader to create his own image of the world and what it has been reduced to and he forces you to wonder what sort of event could have occurred that left the world in such a mess.

There are a few quotes that really speak volumes to what the book is about. The father’s best advice to his son is “you must carry the fire.” He tells his son that this fire is inside him and it is my belief that the man is referring to the boy and his will to live. He must remain motivated in order to survive and that as long as he keeps that fire inside of him he cannot succumb to the darkness that the rest of mankind has fallen to.

McCarthy grew up during the Cold War and it is my feeling that the war was incorporated into his book. Everyone’s worst fear during the time was that nuclear warfare would destroy the world and mankind itself would cease to exist. It was definitely evident in the book. Although it is never said what catastrophe led to the annihilation of all life on earth it is my belief that it was a manmade disaster, possibly a nuclear war.

McCarthy’s message in this book is blurry at first but eventually it becomes very evident and the reader will definitely get something out of it. This book is a must for all readers who cherish the constant fight against evil and against one’s self.