Bookfanatic reviewed on
Helpful Score: 1
This is a book you will not forget. I promise you that. The prose is sparse. The plot is not complex. We never really learn the names of the characters. The writing is simple. You'd wonder why this would be a memorable book. Taken as a whole the entire story is unlike anything else you've read. It's set in the future when a horrible calamity has befallen people. All animal life is gone. And most plant life is gone. There is no food. Think about it. When there is no food what do people eat? Then you'll understand some of the horror in the book. It's about the darkest impulses of human nature and what we're capable of doing when the thin veneer of civilization has vanished. There are some scenes in the book that although not described in great detail are truly gruesome. If you're sensitive then this is not the book for you. The ending is hopeful although some find it vague. I found the father's character to be irritating. (SPOILER) When he knew he was dying, I think the kindest thing he could have done to the boy was to kill him with the bullet in their gun. He had no way of knowing if the boy would find kind strangers (which it seemed like he did although it's vague) or whether the boy would end up as food or as a catamite.
This book is dark, emotionally difficult, and thought provoking. I would never want to survive a catastrophe like this. I could understand why the mother did what she did. It's such a bleak future. Why bother to survive?
This book is dark, emotionally difficult, and thought provoking. I would never want to survive a catastrophe like this. I could understand why the mother did what she did. It's such a bleak future. Why bother to survive?
