I just finished The Road. Yes, yes, the run-on sentences and potentially pretentious use of words nobody uses, but the verdict is in: I loved this book.

What can I say, I’m a sucker for stories that feature cannibalism.

Uh, totally kidding!

So anyways, to briefly summarize the plot: it’s about a father and his young son traveling a road to nowhere in a future dying world with murderous cannibalizing gangs, and a lack of food and shelter as constant sources of danger and fear. Occasionally they encounter some other world-weary traveler and the boy always wants to help them and give them the benefit of the doubt, while the father is convinced that “the good guys” are nowhere to be found.

To me, the road they’re on is a metaphor for life. I mean, you can spend your entire life constantly being afraid of what’s around the bend, not trusting anyone or putting down roots anywhere like the father, (who has his child’s best interest at heart–he’s seen the evil in the world.) But really – what kind of life is that? Or you can take a chance on someone and not expect the worst and see what happens.

I was certain this book was going to have a horribly depressing ending, (like them both roasting on a spit or something) but ultimately I was surprised. The picture is still bleak at the end, but there’s hope. Sometimes that’s all you need, right?

Loved it.

Samara