The Road by Cormac McCarthy

This was a book I had to read for the 'Imagining the Novel' module at UEL in order to get an idea of different ways novels are written and such-like. Rather than write another review of it, I'm instead going to just copy and paste the synopsis I had to write as well as my final thoughts. Spoilers follow.

The Road is a dystopian novel by Cormac McCarthy in which a father and son spend a number of months walking along a derelict and almost destroyed road or area of land in America. This novel, with its post-apocalyptic setting could be compared to Richard Matheson’s 1954 novel I am Legend albeit without the zombie concept to accompany the characters.

The novel focuses on the father and son travelling along the road and trying to survive this post-apocalyptic world. As they continue to travel they are forced to snack on old and tasteless food (with the father frequently not eating in order for the son to do so and the son sometimes telling the father to eat), bathe in dirty and cold streams and encounter fellow travellers, some of who have resorted to cannibalism in order to survive. 

As the story continues, the two males, referred to as “the man” and “the boy”, encounter many problems including near-starvation, threatening characters and illness which begins with the man coughing up blood before slowly dying and leaving the boy to travel alone before encountering another man and his family who wish to help him. However, before the death of the father, they find a bunker filled with fresh food and drink which has not yet been looted by other travellers.

The death of the father, although a sad moment, especially for the boy, happens on a beach which could possibly be considered the nicest area encountered within the book. Whilst the road itself is covered in ashes and dirt, a beach is a place of romance and calmness, making the death of the father an ironic moment.

Themes within ‘The Road’ include the clear post-apocalyptic/dystopian world throughout, love and protection between family members, survival, distress and death. The book could also be considered educational in that it teaches the reader how people would or may react if the only other person they have is someone close to them, in either a dystopian or utopian world or atmosphere. 

As the book is written without chapters which are often used to separate events or subjects within a book, The Road could be considered just one event (despite the fact that many different things happen throughout the book): that of the father and son travelling in hope of surviving this post-apocalyptic world. 

The narrative arc within The Road is one which some readers may say does not have a middle section due to the book beginning and ending in the same way with little to no change throughout. The characters do, however, experience some conflict as they travel. The first, and clearest, is that of the apocalypse and the characters’ survival. The second is having to decide who is good and who is bad out of the people the father and son encounter during their travels. If they were to make the wrong decision upon who to trust they may feel regretful afterwards. And the third conflict could be mostly encountered by the father in his decision not to eat. By making this decision he soon becomes ill which results in his death, leaving the boy alone and wondering what will happen to him until he is found by the aforementioned family.

I found The Road to be very similar to I Am Legend with its dystopian imagery and the concept of a journey in order to find life and survive. The only major difference is that Legend had zombie-like creatures whereas The Road featured humans only. If dystopia is your sort of thing and you enjoyed I Am Legend and 1984 then I'd recommend this book to you.

Overall rating: 8/10