A review by andrea_lachance
The Road by Cormac McCarthy

challenging dark hopeful reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Not a fun summer read!!!

I’m very much a mood reader, and The Road is definitely meant to be read on a dreary day, rather than on a warm cloudy day in a hammock when one is appreciating nature. Or maybe that is the best setting to read about a completely desolate, grey world where the only thing a man can do is walk, hold his gun, and hope he dies before his child.

Wish I had read this in an academic setting, where I could certainly get more literary analysis on this book, but I’ll settle for pilfering YouTube, academic websites, and my library’s ProQuest.

Cornac McCarthy’s writing stands in a league of its own, in both syntax and style. There were so many words I straight up didn’t know and didn’t even bother to look up the definition of.

The story is so simple, which is what makes it so heartwrenching.

Still split on if this is “hopeful” book, but based on what I know of McCarthy’s previous work, this is probably the most hopeful of the bunch. It’s so minimal, that its impact is astonishing.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings