'The Road' by Cormac McCarthy

Rating: 5 / 5

Plot Overview:

This is America as you've never seen it. Everything is grey, the water chokes with ash, civilisation is non-existent. But there is a man and he has a son and they are going to make it to the South with their shopping cart. They have to.

I came across this book on our family shelf , recognised the title, and thought I'd give it a go. On finding out it was of the dystopian genre, I thought 'great' (I have to read dystopias for English Lit A-Level.) Let's just say that I did not expect to enjoy 'The Road' as much as I did!

McCarthy writes unconventionally without any punctuation at all -I'm told this is a motif across all his novels. It serves to highlight the barren, savage, brutal nature of the landscape he powerfully describes. You will be completely transported. Questions of morality, purpose, fatherhood, survival; all are raised and all will make your heart ache.

'The Road' is tender, it's honest, and it's terrifying.

I've been told that it's the first book in the trilogy but it seemed to wrap itself up quite neatly. I have also been told that the other two books are not so good so I might give them a miss!