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A review by lilybear3
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
4.75
I've been curious about this book for some time and I finally got around to it. When reading and reviewing this book in 2023, it's important to remember this book was first published in 2006. I didn't initially see why this book won a Pulitzer Prize, however, at the time and for all of it's hidden intricacies, it is great.
On the surface, the book is very straightforward and sentences are mainly stating what a character is doing or feeling, what the environment is, etc. However, every now and then, we get a poetic and philosophical paragraph that wants the reader to stop and think. This book is not a feel good book and there are some gruesome imagery at times, but it's not extremely pessimistic either. There is hope, even if just a little. Other themes are love, loss, grief, and humanity.
I think this modern classic is really accessible, the writing isn't too complicated, except for a few words here and there that I didn't recognize. I've seen other reviews question why there aren't quotation marks when characters are speaking and the lack of apostrophes in contractions like "cant." These details are intentional. As a reader, I could still understand who was talking based on how dialogue is laid out in other books. I'm speculating here, but I think it represents the fall of structure and formality, almost all of humanity is gone. It might also be hinting at the lack of education and need for written language.
I love a dystopian and I love that there are so many scenarios that fit that description. There aren't a lot of details as to why the world has turned out this way, but I kind of like that the reader doesn't know and that is left to their own imagination. I thought it might be a statement on environmental issues, but we just don't know. Obviously, reading this in 2023 has made me compare it to more recent media like "The Last of Us," but I don't think that's a bad thing. Both The Road and "The Last of Us" have similar themes, as mentioned above.
I could write an essay on this book. I wasn't sure what I was walking into (I encourage you to do this with any book you read), but I ended up enjoying this a lot. I couldn't put this book down.
On the surface, the book is very straightforward and sentences are mainly stating what a character is doing or feeling, what the environment is, etc. However, every now and then, we get a poetic and philosophical paragraph that wants the reader to stop and think. This book is not a feel good book and there are some gruesome imagery at times, but it's not extremely pessimistic either. There is hope, even if just a little. Other themes are love, loss, grief, and humanity.
I think this modern classic is really accessible, the writing isn't too complicated, except for a few words here and there that I didn't recognize. I've seen other reviews question why there aren't quotation marks when characters are speaking and the lack of apostrophes in contractions like "cant." These details are intentional. As a reader, I could still understand who was talking based on how dialogue is laid out in other books. I'm speculating here, but I think it represents the fall of structure and formality, almost all of humanity is gone. It might also be hinting at the lack of education and need for written language.
I love a dystopian and I love that there are so many scenarios that fit that description. There aren't a lot of details as to why the world has turned out this way, but I kind of like that the reader doesn't know and that is left to their own imagination. I thought it might be a statement on environmental issues, but we just don't know. Obviously, reading this in 2023 has made me compare it to more recent media like "The Last of Us," but I don't think that's a bad thing. Both The Road and "The Last of Us" have similar themes, as mentioned above.
I could write an essay on this book. I wasn't sure what I was walking into (I encourage you to do this with any book you read), but I ended up enjoying this a lot. I couldn't put this book down.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Murder, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Violence, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Child death, Death of parent, Chronic illness, and Death
Moderate: Cannibalism
Minor: Animal death, Rape, Self harm, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, and Pregnancy