Tuesday, August 04, 2009

Book review - >"The Road" - Cormac McCarthy

I thought seeing as I've been waxing lyrical (or not) about the books I've been reading on LivingSocial's facebook app I may as well re-cycle my words for anyone who finds my blog ;o)

"The Road" - Cormac McCarthy

"There are books to read and then there are books you should read. This is one you should. Yes, it is post-apocalyptic and striped to its bare essentials (no chapters, short punchy paragraphs, direct dialogue), but it is a beautiful portrait of a parents efforts to protect and nuture their child.

The writing stretches 'normal' conventions by dropping aspects of punctuation and so forth, I took this as a gesture to the deterioration of language in the author's disintegrating world. The author deftly moves you along the father and son's journey through the crumbling remains of the planet and society using the pared down construction, and simple clear image-conjuring prose. Keeping the reader absorbed.

It might make you glum, it might make you distinctly unsure where the author is taking you, but you will not be able to put it down and you will be left having had your grey matter thoroughly exercised. A deeply satisfying read, and yes the ending might be somewhat speedy but you will being thinking about it for days."

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