The Road By Cormac McCarthy

I'd heard a lot about this book before reading it. Both in review terms but more as a comparison to books &
films that have have followed. It's influence has been far reaching seemingly inspiring films like Book of Eli, a Relaunch of the Fallout game series and even episodes of Adventure Time. The book seems to have set down a bench mark for a genre and with good reason.
I've always enjoyed Post-apocalyptic fiction. Something about a new world emerging/existing from the ruins of a self destructive world has always caught my imagination so since hearing about The Road I've wanted to read it.
As a work of fiction it works on so many levels and can really be described as a full package with many parts engaging with each other to create great fiction.
One of the first things you notice is the way the story is told. The characters have no names and there's no punctuation when they speak. This is different at first but as you read on it becomes apparent why this is. Within the context of the themes and feel of the book there is no need for either. You soon learn to see why the two main characters have no need for names and the fact the author has chosen not to give this basic element to the reader really helps you engage with the plot. This is only enhanced by the use of the third person narrative to follow just two people. Even though the focus is primarily on one of the characters you always get a feel for the other as well. The lack of punctuation could almost be described as gimmicky if it didn't match the atmosphere created by the book almost perfectly.
The story tells of two people, A man and his son, trying to survive in a world that has been destroyed. It has a rolling plot line which has no real concept of time passing. The lines between night and day are blurred because of the scorched sky and ash. The only real gauge is the characters need for food and sleep as they trudge across a barren wasteland.
There is a no holds barred feel to parts of the story which at times you don't expect. As one of the central characters is a child who's over riding emotion is empathy you are constantly raised up by the hope in the goodness that he tries to find in others. This can give you shelter from the more grim parts of the book. As the child doesn't always understand it makes it easier for the reader to understand the man's motives when he has to do things that no one should ever have to do. There is also a desperate type of hope from the man as well. A hope that he can protect his child and teach him what he can. Even if that means exposing him to bad situations so he learns what not to be like.
The book captivated me from beginning to end. I didn't want to put it down or for it to end and it stuck with me for weeks afterwards. Thinking more about it now I think it ends in a good (bad?) place. It left my wondering about the rest of the world and how it all happened. Though more than anything to me the characters seem to represent humanity itself and how decent humans (the good guys) would have deal with the collapse of humanity.