Back on the Road

James Hamiliton has written an excellent review of The Road by Cormac McCarthy. I think he got the book right, better than I did when I offered my impressions. Here's his conclusion:

The book opens with the man waking to grope for his son, earnest for reassurance that he is there, that they are safe. The book closes with the man going to sleep, choosing not to kill his son before he dies, clearly trusting that though he will not be awake to protect the boy, he can rest knowing that the boy will be safe. For this pilgrim, dying is an act of faith. They have not wandered in a cave but in a world without civilization, a world without forms. The forms are the world we now enjoy, if . . . if McCarthy's Jonah can lead us to repentance by escorting us through the inferno, pilgrims making their way through the ruins of Vanity Fair. McCarthy seems to want us to know that the life we long for is the life we have.

Read the whole thing

I'm into another McCarthy book currently, and really liking it. He is a master with words.