I finished The Road a few days ago, but have been gathering my thoughts. That book is wild. It was a very fast read, very absorbing.

I've read quite a few post-apocalyptic type stories, but this was quite a bit different from most of what I've read. In the other stories, people are searching for loved ones or trying to figure out why all the men died, or trying to stop people from turning into zombies when they die. They have some semblance of hopefulness in them. Possibly the most striking thing about The Road is the almost complete lack of hope. The father is leading the boy south to the coast, but he is aware that there is probably nothing there for them. It will still be cold, they will still be hungry, there will still be next to no food, but they have to keep going. The boy is the only thing left that the father has faith in. The boy embodies his last bit of hope.

When they run into the "bad guys" it becomes more evident what they mean when they say that they are "carrying the fire". Unlike those who resort to murder and cannibalism, the boy and the father are holding on to the last threads of their humanity. It's like the rest of mankind is devolving into beasts but the father and child are keeping their spirits alive.

I have to admit that I was worried throughout the book that the ending would be a let down. Fortunately, my worries turned out to be unfounded. I think there is probably something purposeful in that one of the very few mentions of color in the book is right at the end; the world becomes a little less gray and dismal.

I loved it. It was compelling.