Did you see something in this comment that didn't meet our terms and conditions? If so, thanks for letting us know. If you inadvertently reached this page, you can use your browsers "back" button to get back on track.

Keep in mind that this form is intended only for reporting comments that violate our terms and conditions. Your report will not be published on the website and will not be sent to the comment author.

You are reporting a comment on the following title:

The Road
Cormac McCarthy

You are reporting the following comment:

Eric Anderson, February 6, 2007

The novel's power lies in its exploration of one of the most familiar human urges -- to ensure the survival of our children -- in the defamiliarized landscape of a dying world.

I have mostly avoided McCarthy's work before now, because his prophetic style was always a little ponderous for me. Here it works beautifully, as a bleak witness to terrible events, pulling you forward the way Dante's linked tercets pull you through Hell.

The novel is ultimately about the tension and mutual dependence of its two central energies: the boy's innate goodness and compassion and the father's sometimes ruthless imperative to keep the boy alive while the world dies. McCarthy somehow pulls off the feat of resolving this tension in the novel's final pages, and the effect is both shattering and soaring.

Your email address:

Reason for report:

Are you a robot? We didn't think so. But just to be sure, please type what you see in the following image into the box below.

Confirmation:

Are you certain you wish to report this comment?

Terms and Conditions

We welcome your comments and ideas, but we ask that you refrain from:
  • Obscenity
  • Spam
  • Illegal content
  • Copyrighted material
  • Commercial solicitations
By posting your comments you are granting the good people of Powells.com the right (but not the obligation) to make your comments available to others over the Internet, and to copy and distribute your comments via other media, in each case on a royalty free basis. These terms govern the rights and obligations of the person posting comments and Powells.com; there are no intended third party beneficiaries of these terms.

Posted comments are subject to monitoring, editing, and removal at any time. Please see our Terms of Use for our complete terms and conditions.

Children's Online Privacy Protection Act

In accordance with The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, you must be at least 13 to submit comments on Powells.com.