The Road - Review by Anna

-Anna

I am pathetic when it comes to puns. Love 'em. So when Erin asked if I liked The Road, I couldn't help replying with, "Well it's appropriate that it's named The Road because I find myself in the middle." She gave me the smirk as confirmation that she "got" my little pun. Regardless of the bad pun, I do find myself in the middle.

The story is intriguing, the circumstances dark. While the suspense is real, there is no break from it, and as a reader, I very much needed a break from the horrors of surviving in a post apocalyptic world. I needed a break from looking over my shoulder, fearful of other humans; a break from starving; a break from freezing; a break from trudging down a long road; a break from surviving; a break from dying. I wanted a reprieve from the bleakness - a place of light - but in this world, even the light has shadows.

Yet, the fact that I feel all of this only proves that the book captured me. I didn't like the monotony of surviving day to day. I didn't like the grayness of every scene. But I was there, and I was hoping. I was hoping the same hope of the man and his boy. In my mind's eye, I see them as two bleary lights walking in a thick, gray fog, searching for a place of rest. But where is this place? Is there someplace down the road where things are better? Or is their only rest in each other? Is their only hope loving each other, retaining their humanity, being one of the good guys and carrying the fire?