From The Shelf

(I'm introducing a new segment to the blog...the book review. The reason I've never bothered to do this until now is often times I re-read books that are personal favorites of mine. But I recently read the book listed below and I thought this would be a good time to start.)


THE ROAD - By Cormac McCarthy
This is the story of a father and his son on a long journey together...a journey with no destination. There has been a cataclysmic event and the world is burned and scarred. Everything is grey, cold, and ash covered. Something has happened to the earth but we never really learn what exactly. The duo decide to travel south on a road, which hopefully leads to some sort of salvation. But the pair are not the only ones on the road. With civilization on the brink chaos and anarchy reign, and the father must defend his son from strangers and outsiders who are bent on survival or worse.
McCarthy is a literary genius with this perrfectly crafted book. There are elements of drama, horror, and suspense here, but the focus of the story is on the father and son's relationship and how they struggle to survive and keep some sense of family. The story is incredibly moving, and the father's commitment to his son almost pushed me to tears at times.
Every father who has a son should read this book. Every father out there can only hope to aspire to the father character here.
After I finished the book I read some commentary about it online, and I discovered that this was also an Oprah Book of the Month selection. I'm kind of embarrassed to say that, but it is a great read. The movie comes out in November I believe, and it stars Viggo Mortensen (Lord of the Rings, Eastern Promises). So if you don't read the book make sure you check out the film.