This is an amazing story. I can't express how much I loved it, despite the tragic circumstances and overwhelming sense of hopelessness and helplessness. I did not want to put it down until I knew the ending.
What's interesting is that I read No Country for Old Men years ago and I did not like it. I even refused to watch the movie when it came out. Considering how much I loved the writing and storytelling in The Road, I may have to give No County... another read.
This is an example of, in the truest definition of the word, a dystopian novel. America has been destroyed. There are few survivors and those are few and far between. We don't really know how many years it's been since the apocalypse, but the two main characters are a man and his son. The son was born two weeks after the apocalypse and he seems to be between 6-8 years old. The country is cold and desolate. The air is filled with gray ash. There is limited food resources (for those that are lucky) and no way to settle down in one place. Staying in one place too long would mean sure death. Other survivors are eating each other. When is snows, the snow is gray. They have to strain ash out of their water supply before drinking it.
The man and his son live on "the road". This is their life, such as it is. The son knows no other life. The only thing that keeps them going is each other. There isn't any "light at the end of the tunnel" in this story. The man and his son simply survive one more day. One day after another. They are starving and deeply cold. It is a profoundly moving story.
As depressing as this story is, I absolutely loved it. A must read.
Wendy's Rating: *****
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