The Bleak and the Beautiful

August 18, 2010

Did you know that Cormac McCarthy, an American novelist and playwright, won the Pulitzer Prize for his book, The Road?

The Road is a journey into the lives of a father and son travelling on a road after a mysterious disaster wipes out nearly all human life.  I never thought that bleakness could be described so beautifully, but just like in No Country for Old Men, McCarthy speaks of the landscape’s vast emptiness.  I felt like I was there with the travelers, experiencing their world.  I saw the gray sky; I heard the distant sounds in the night; I tasted the wind-blown dust and smelled the promise of food as they did.

Throughout the bleakness of The Road, there was this underlying constant hope that they will make it to the coast and find other survivors.  It’s no mystery why McCarthy won the Pulitzer for this book.  I think you should read The Road.  In fact, I would suggest it to anyone.  When you’re done reading that, try All the Pretty Horses or No Country for Old Men.

Dan B.
Blue Springs South