The Road, by Cormac McCarthy

Ford recommended this one, and, while I'm not a fan of post-apocalyptic novels, I'm very glad he did. This novel is simplistic in a variety of ways - straightforward dialogue, simple words, basic sentences, etc. -,yet it has an emotional depth that, as a father of two boys, hit me pretty hard. I see the Hemingway comparison through the lack of dialogue guides, the language, and the masculine themes, but there's a lot of "Papa" that McCarthy doesn't borrow from (e.g., Papa was not one for using similes, nor for telling the story, whereas McCarthy does both, quiet often). Still, that's a good thing! Who'd want to read a total Hemingway rip-off? The book was easy to read, and hard to put down. However, I found myself compelled to put the book down on several occasions to check on my sons or just give them a little of my time. If you read the novel, you'll quickly understand why the story had this strange effect on my paternal nature. As far as the major themes go, I found them easy to uncover, which, after reading such dense literature lately, I was grateful for. There was also a "child of God" religious thing going on that I enjoyed thinking about. I would definitely recommend this novel to several of my friends, and would probably give old Cormac another chance. The only "flaw" in the novel - if you can call it a flaw -, is that the audience seems to be somewhat limited. I don't see this as a novel for women. Maybe it's just me ...

On a side note, I had the strangest experience with this novel: I lost it! Last night the novel mysteriously disappeared from my home. I had 40 pages left to read, and it just up and left on me. I looked everywhere. And I mean EVERYWHERE! Freezer, bookshelves, downstairs shower, garage, cars, under the sofa, wood-burning stove, medicine cabinet, dog's stomach, etc. I have NO idea what happened to it. Mark was kind enough to lend me his copy - which I didn't molest in anyway -, so I could finish the novel. I get a headache just thinking about the 3 hours I spent looking for my copy. Where the hell is it?