This weekend I read Cormac McCarthy’s The Road. [Amazon]  And it’s no wonder he won the Pulitzer for this book.  I know some people that don’t read books if Oprah suggests them, but I’d recommend you pick up this one despite the Oprah backing.

I went into this book expecting something great - McCarthy wrote No Country For Old Men, and that was pretty good.  And the premise of this story sounded pretty interesting: A dude and his son live in a postapocalyptic America where the line between good and bad becomes incredibly apparent.

McCarthy’s style included no direct quotations, which at first was difficult to read, but got easier and easier as I got deeper into it.  Here’s an example:

Did you have any friends?
Yes.  I did.
Lots of them?
Yes.
Do you remember them?
Yes.  I remember them.
What happened to them?
They died.
All of them?
Yes.  All of them.
Do you miss them?
Yes.  I do.
Where are we going?
We’re going south.
Okay.

McCarthy writes a story where the characters ask themselves daily, “Why go on?”  And how many of us have asked ourselves that very question?  Just imagine if our world was as hellish as that of The Road - a world where every day is a struggle for food and safety - would you have the courage to continue walking down the road?