Reading Report

Last week I read The Road, by Cormac McCarthy. Mr. McCarthy handles words with the precision of a poet and the power of Olympic champion discus thrower. The story is a post-apocalyptic view of some near term future world where an unspecified disaster has decimated the earth. A father and son travel on foot in a ravaged landscape with minimal resources. The child is young, the father is sick, the journey is long and arduous.

In the early pages I imagined The Road ,as a prose poem version of Stephen King's The Stand a classic examination of good versus evil. I was wrong. This novel is about love and sacrifice and hope kept alive against overwhelming odds. Brilliantly written, undeniably powerful, and certainly thought provoking.

I still didn't like it.

Why? When I read I want to be drawn into a story world where either I learn things or am entertained. Color me shallow. IMHO Mr. McCarthy is exploring themes that interest him in a rather self-indulgent way. Perhaps this is what brilliant successful authors do. He finds an audience for his musings.