The Road

In a burned-out and desolate America, a father and his young son journey through a grim and ravaged landscape. Their destination is the coast, but they have no certainty of what, if anything, awaits them there. Beneath a darkened sky, they traverse a world where remnants of civilisation are reduced to ash and metal, and the air is thick with despair. The duo is armed only with their resolve, a pistol for protection, and a profound bond that keeps them tethered to each other amidst the chaos.

As they make their way through silent, abandoned towns and desolate highways, the father and son encounter lawless bands of savagery, surviving on whatever remnants of life they can salvage. Despite the horrors that confront them, their love for one another serves as a flicker of light in the overwhelming darkness. They must navigate a treacherous path, where every step is laden with peril and hope seems an increasingly distant memory.

The Road, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, is an incandescent novel by Cormac McCarthy, offering a poignant and haunting story of survival and humanity. This compelling narrative delves into the stark reality of a post-apocalyptic world, exploring the depths of human despair and resilience. Without flinching, McCarthy portrays the best and worst of humankind, envisaging a future where brutality and kindness coexist in fragile balance.

The novel's stark prose and heart-rending emotions draw readers into a journey that is as spiritually uplifting as it is physically arduous. In the face of a world stripped bare of life and hope, the relationship between the father and son underscores a tender and enduring aspect of the human spirit. Their story is a testament to the enduring power of love and the unshakeable will to persevere, even in the bleakest of times.

An exemplar of post-apocalyptic writing, The Road stands as a true modern classic. It is a masterful, moving, and increasingly prescient novel that continues to resonate with readers around the world. This edition is part of the Picador Collection, celebrating some of the finest works in contemporary literature, commemorating Picador’s 50th Anniversary. Furthermore, fans of Cormac McCarthy can look forward to his eagerly anticipated new novels, The Passenger and Stella Maris, published by Picador in October 2022.