I haven’t been sleeping well. I’ve been having nightmares about a post-apocalyptic world. A world on fire, destroyed, covered in ashes. A world where bearded men roam the road in search of victims. A time of hopelessness; lawlessness.
I haven’t been sleeping well because I’ve been reading The Road by Cormac McCarthy.
“He lay listening to the water drip in the woods. Bedrock, this. The cold and the silence. The ashes of the late world carried on the bleak and temporal winds to and fro in the void. Carried forth and scattered and carried forth again. Everything uncoupled from its shoring. Unsupported in the ashen air. Sustained by a breath, trembling and brief. If only my heart were stone.”
In the book, in this cold, dark and heartless world, a man and his son walk the road. Trying to survive by scavenging food and avoiding the men who stalk the road. They only have each other – and that small spark of humanity that they tend inside themselves like a precious fire.
This is a shocking and harrowing book – mesmerizing in its language and theme. It is difficult to read, but you can’t tear yourself away. It is a dark novel, but it does carry with it a tiny spark of hope.
It is a book of terrible beauty.
Should you read it? Yes – it’s a must! But it’s also a warning. Beware: it might give you nightmares … but your life will be the richer for reading it. Update: I loved this book, but it was very harrowing.
Remember! This weekend sees the third edition of Strange Shores – a blog carnival with witty insights into ex-pat life. Go over to PaddyK and give him some links to posts that you want included.
February 4, 2009 at 11:08 am
I guess one should read whatever floats their boat…I don’t know that I would neccessarily choose such a dark novel when there are so many other great stories out there instead but it’s sometimes ok to take off the rose coloured glasses and step into the dark world a bit if you have nothing better to do…
Glad you are enjoying the book despite the nightmares..that is what is most important, that you- who is reading this book- enjoys it.
February 4, 2009 at 1:36 pm
I will have nightmares if I watch horror movies on television. Once, after watching, I dreamt the same ghost on tv was strangling me. When I woke up, I found my two hands holding my neck….scary! I must be very stress …lol. From that day onwards, I dont dare looked at any scary ghost on tv or internet. Once I rec’d a stupid email from a friend and I was supposed to looked at the car moving along the long road and suddenly a ghost jump onto the monitor screen and scream, it was so scary and I nearly fall off my chair. So I now off the volume of my puter when I open any attachment…lol.
February 4, 2009 at 2:06 pm
oooh I just started this yesterday, at first I was very thrown by the narration, but Im starting to like it.
February 4, 2009 at 3:48 pm
I know the feeling. In the mid eighties I read a book in Swedish by P.C. Jersild, “Efter Floden”, a post-apocalyptic story, which stayed with me day and night for a long time. I don’t know about your Swedish proficiency, but I imagine it to be rather good, so if you could stomach another one, read his classic from 1982.
February 4, 2009 at 3:55 pm
It sounds quite a grim read but I know it’s like – you just want to get to the end of it regardless of how it makes you feel.
February 4, 2009 at 4:53 pm
I might have to work myself up to it, I am one of those nightmare people also. And that is just from watching a little television. Maybe I could live vicariously through your rendition of the book.
Glad that you are enjoying your read, let us know how it ends.
Jen
February 4, 2009 at 5:16 pm
I usually read before bed, but when I was reading The Road, I had to read it earlier in the day. I didn’t like it, primarily because it painted a hopeless reality, when there is in fact hope in Jesus Christ. Plus, the grammar/punctuation issues and writing style really bugged me.
February 4, 2009 at 7:22 pm
I have this book on my bookshelf… got it from my Danish friend who was moving to the states in December and I got 2 bags of his books…but have not had time to read it. Since you say it is a must, I will put it in my summer pile!
February 4, 2009 at 8:47 pm
You’re the second person who has strongly recommended this good, yet difficult to read book. I’ll pick it up… thanks.
February 4, 2009 at 9:00 pm
This was honestly one of the best books I ever read. How did you like the ending? It was the most complete ending ever. Usually I get annoyed by almost all endings. This one felt so right.
What a great book, glad you “liked” it if that is the correct term.
February 5, 2009 at 2:43 am
I would love to read that book, but you’ve terrified me! Am I brave enough to read it??
February 5, 2009 at 3:28 am
I totally agree with you. I read this book last year, and it was just haunting and upsetting. (But I tend to like books like that.) I didn’t have nightmares about it but it made me think quite a bit about end of the world type stuff and how I felt about my son and his future.
I think McCarthy did a great job of creating a realistic post-apocalyptic world. I imagine it would pretty much go down like he imagined, unfortunately.
I heard that they are making a movie of the book. In the right hands, it would be good but I imagine that Hollywood might “dress it up” a little and remove some of the bleakness.
February 5, 2009 at 4:36 am
Wow. I admire you for sticking with it!
February 5, 2009 at 7:06 am
Lady Fi, thanks for your comment on my blog, the beautiful and fragrant flowers are witch hazel. A lovely shrub that blooms during winter.
Jen
February 5, 2009 at 7:17 am
Well with my stranger than strange nightmares ..I probably will pass on this one:)
February 5, 2009 at 1:48 pm
I read that book, too, and when I did I always had nightmares about me and Emma in the situation that the guy and his son was in.
February 5, 2009 at 2:55 pm
I’ve heard of that book. My interest is piqued!
April 29, 2009 at 2:03 pm
Hi.
See the link.
It’s a beautiful and very powerful book, even translated in French…
Regards.