The Road by Cormack McCarthy
This book is about a father and son who are alone on a road in the world where there is no civilisation. They have to make sure they don't get killed by other people, die of cold and hunger and get eaten by the human population. This book shows the relationship between the the two more that it tells the story. It shows how one young boy and man, even when everything is either dead or dying, they understand what is right and what is wrong and stick to their civilised ways. Even if it does mean stealing from other people to get food. During the book we find out that the apocalypse happened very quickly burning a lot of things as there is still ash falling from the sky even after one year after the catastrophe. The book follows the father and son for about a year, all the while it is snowing and ashes are falling. I thought that this novel was simply written but with a lot of facts in it. I am giving it 9/10.
MB
This book I found to be enthralling. The dialogue is simple and the story is fairly simple also. The tale of a post apocalyptic world where everything has died. This is middle America and a father and son are travelling trying to survive in a world where all plants and animals have died. There is no government there is no law and order there is just the animal instinct to survive. And through it all there is the inherent need to maintain the difference between right and wrong against the need to survive. This is a superb example of the post apocalyptic novel. The death of grass which we have already read is very different however the over all message is the same. How do the survivors maintain their humanity without reverting to their animal instinct. The writing style is excellent in this story and I believe it will be a classic of its time. After I had read it I noted that the film was due for release. I admit I do not wish to see the movie, not because it is not any good, but predominantly because the mental pictures that reading the story have conjured up will never be matched by the film. I give this book a 10 out of 10
JB
Overall we are giving it 9.5/10.
