The Road

There is no better way for me to delve into an author's ouevre than to start with his post-apocalyptic nightmare scenario. Unfortunately, most authors do not have such a story, but thankfully Cormac McCarthy does and so I begin my Cormac McCarthy odyssey. (Knocked out the Road and am halfway through All the Pretty Horses, with No Country for Old Men in the on-deck circle).

First off, thank to Matt A for recommending it. He was pretty spot on when he said that it hits you hard as the father of a son. Much of this might be spoiler, so don't read on if you are planning to read the book.

I'm pretty rusty in really sinking my teeth into the themes and symbols of a book, so excuse me if my comments seem mundane. To me, the whole book comes to a head when they meet the man that's stolen their cart off the beach. Every conversation between the father and the son, the stress, the protection, all seems aimed at this moment. (I love the simplicity of the difference between those who are good and those who are evil. We're good because we don't eat people.) So, that moment where the catch the old man and they strip him of everything and retake the cart and the son's protesting...that's the moment. Specifically, where the father says, "You're not the one who has to worry about everything" and the boy answers inaudibly at first but then says, "Yes, I am. I am the one." The boy remains the moral compass. The father's intent is always completely focused on the protection of his son, but the son is the one who has to worry about them maintaining their morality, something that tortures him through the book. As a dad, that line was crushing. You think you're doing what's best for them, acting in their interest, and they instead are noticing how you treat others inhumanely to help them. I can't get over that line. I have to worry about our morality because you aren't paying attention in your attempt to be protective.

Are there are a million other things that make this book great? Sure. But for some reason that one really knocked me around.

The movie comes out in October. The trailer looks interesting.