Some of the most powerful stories ever told are stories about journeys and this one fits well into that company. The Road follows a father and son as they journey through a bleak and dangerous landscape. It is a stark and hopeless world where it seems that all that is left is the love at the heart of their relationship. It is personal, it is intense. Their language as they communicate with each other is simple. “Okay?” they ask. “Okay”, the response – again and again, like a Greek chorus. They are “each other’s world entire”, their quest a search for the good. The tale is tragic, primal in the same kind of way that Shakespeare’s King Lear is primal. McCarthy writes beautifully and his language is rich with poetry. Essentially a simple tale, The Road is an easy read. It is also one of the finest contemporary literary novels I have come across. A compelling read, it drew me in from the first page and carried me all the way through to the end. It left me in tears – which is not to say that there is not a suggestion of hope at the conclusion. I read it cover to cover in a day and have no hesitation in recommending it to you.