Aug 21, 2008

The Road | Techniques / Literary Precedents

No reviewer disagrees about the terror and devastation that is presented in The Road, nor does anyone disagree about the beauty of the book’s prose. Critics also frequently comment on McCarthy’s ability to create a story of such destruction alongside a story of such intense devotion. For example, Mary Fitzgerald, writing for the New Statesman (December 4, 2006), described the novel as a “gripping, heart-rending story, which explores the depths of despair and savagery beside the heights of love, tenderness and self-sacrifice.” A reviewer for Newsweek (October 2,...