Mary Panttaja

I just finished reading “The Road”, an amazing novel by Cormac McCarthy.

The book is actually shocking on so many fronts. It is a delicate elegy to the bond of love between a father and his son set against the most horrific situation you can imagine (and I’ve dreamed some pretty bad scenarios). The effect is stunning. I am still in awe of how Mr. McCarthy accomplished such a wondrous thing. Of course, these characters live with him and he had only to put them in this eviscerated world he envisioned using his brilliant skill and inspiration.

The odd thing is that I cannot recommend the book to you. You will have to come to on your own. It is a very dark thing and has some very difficult moments. (I discovered that I should not read it while home alone at night.) So on its merits, I would say that this is a brilliant book—but its material is not for everyone. Some sensitive souls might not bear up. (I would not recommend this to my daughter, for example, though she may want to read it.)

On a personal note: I apologize for the week’s disappearance. A construction project and bad virus sapped my week. Not yet well and not yet done. We’ll see how this week goes.