The Road is stunning

I recently spent the weekend in Indianapolis for a swim meet that my two oldest daughters were in. Swimming, while a great sport, is replete with sitting and waiting, and then sitting some more. Because the girls are in two separate age groups, the waiting (and sitting) is made longer making it a day-long event. I sat down with the Cormac McCarthy apocalyptic tome figuring I'd slog through it. The guy's vocab is over my head most of the time, but he's got such a unique, original style. I read The Road in one sitting and plan on reading it again. It was quite simply one of the most well- and efficiently-written books I've ever read. It was stark, beautiful writing. The book presents a terrifying world view of a burned and scalded America, but there's a faint glimmer of hope laid bare. Like most of his work, (No Country For Old Men) it's no day at the beach, but it will leave you thinking about it for days. I plan on re-reading it again, it was that good. A friend told me that Cormac's probably near the end of his life, and that much of what's in there by way of themes echoes his remaining days on Earth, and the fear of death vs. living and trying to survive. He's probably right. Either way, I highly recommend it.