jucahelu

A zany action-packed ride through a comical post apocalyptic universe. "The Road" is a tale of the madcap adeventures of a father and son as they attempt to take their comedy show on "THE ROAD." With a copy of Kerouac and a gleam in their eyes, they make their way through a burned out wasteland of fun. Along the way they meet hobos and tramps, cannibals and WTF OMFG THOSE PEOPLE WERE COOKING A BABY ON A SPIT JESUS CHRIST WTF IS WRONG WITH YOU MCCARTHY?!? I sure do like apocalyptic fiction, but in the past, most of it has run to the science fiction side of the genre for me. So, generally, some alien/atomic/biologic force takes out mankind and from the ashes some scientist/engineer/philosopher/hero-with-heretofore-unknown-tremendous-world-saving-abilities saves the day. Or as much as one can 'save' any post-apocalyptic 'day.' This novel is not in that genre. It is a meditation on despair and the bond between a father and a son and why we keep on going when there's absolutely no reason to. And how much of that is wrapped in the sort of unarticulated responsibility we have as parents. And there are (refreshingly) no answers to any of this. It is profoundly human and profoundly thoughtful and made me insanely paranoid throughout the two evenings that I read it that my children (in the very next room) were at risk of dire harm. Oh, and other than an abrupt transition at the end, was pretty damn flawless. (4 out of 5)

2022-11-14 16:29