Tolog Review: The Road

The Road
by Cormac McCarthy
reviewed by Briana Escobar 

Cormac McCarthy’s The Road is a post-apocalyptic novel that uses a literary style that most authors do not dare to use when writing. McCarthy’s style is very mysterious, given that he doesn’t give the main character’s names at any point and his use of grammar is unorthodox. The lack of quotation marks when characters are speaking adds a certain wispy quality to the book. McCarthy’s technique unquestionably enhances the book’s eerie aura; post-apocalyptic novels can often be overdone or predictable, but The Road was not. 

The story is about a man and his young son traveling on a road after firestorms have scourged the land, destroying civilization. McCarthy does an exceptional job of showing their fight for survival as they struggle to find food, water, shelter, and other basic necessities for life. The man and his son are very likable characters that are easy to become attached to. McCarthy allows us to look in on a genuine father-son relationship, one that is so full of unconditional love that it physically pains the reader as the son and father agonize and battle death. Not only does McCarthy show a strong familial bond, but also how tragedy changes humanity. Catastrophes can either bring out the best or the worst in people, and when food is gone and people are dying on the streets, societies become murderous. 

Reading this novel opened my eyes to the extent that a parent will go for their child. It made me appreciate the life I have and how lucky I am that my society has not yet experienced a national tragedy. People around the world are living in hellish environments such as war zones or places that are taken over by terrorist groups, and while those places may not be at the same level as the civilization shown in The Road, McCarthy rightly sheds a light on issues throughout the world, which is especially important.