The Road by Cormac McCarthy

Extract

[...] Everything is under the sign of anonymity: we do not know who or what has caused such torpor in the world; we do not know the name of the father and the son, designated by the prosaic appellation of 'the man' and the 'little one', we know almost nothing about their past (except for some memories that come back episodically). Finally, The Route it is a captivating and stimulating novel. Because it is in the apocalyptic environments that we can explore and deepen the themes such as fear, hope, love or survival, subjects that are part of our humanity. [...]

[...] His author, Cormac McCarthy, is considered today as a major writer of contemporary American literature. Born in 1933 in Rhode Island and died in 2023 in New Mexico, he has also been a screenwriter for film and television. His first novels The Orchard Keeper Robert Laffont ; Child of God Actes Sud, 1992) draws inspiration from Tennessee where he was raised while his many other novels (Of such lovely horses, Actes Sud ; Not, this country is not for the old man, L'Olivier, 2007) take place in the deserts of the south-west American. [...]

[...] Men and wildlife have almost disappeared. In this setting, the father and son move southward, facing terrifying weather conditions, constantly on the lookout, prey to a dull fear and an unknown danger that lurks over them at all times. The protagonists feel followed, spied on; any stranger is perceived as a potential enemy; barbarism and violence are omnipresent. During their journey, the two protagonists try to survive by moving from abandoned houses to makeshift shelters, sometimes finding clothes and provisions in gas stations and supermarkets. [...]

[...] However, The Route is a narrative that belongs to several registers. It is both a metaphorical work, an initiatory novel and a metaphysical narrative: the two protagonists are in an impossible quest for a lost paradise, trapped in a repetitive and permanent daily routine since they must constantly start over and face ethical dilemmas. Ultimately, their greatest challenge may be to fight against themselves: resist despair that gnaws at them, the desire to give in to bestiality, the anxiety of their existence. [...]

[...] To the difficulties and challenges that mark the journey of the two characters, is added another evil, more insidious and pernicious: the father is seriously ill, to the point of coughing up blood. This illness gnaws and weakens him as it progresses in his journey. His son is aware that his father's days are numbered and that it is increasingly difficult for them to advance, without knowing the outcome of their journey. The open-ended conclusion allows the reader to draw their own conclusions and reflect on their own values. [...]