It took a long time to decide what to rate this book, but I've finally decided that it works. The power in this book is not the story itself, but what it makes you think.

The Road follows a father and son in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. The follow the road, scavenging for what little they can to survive. The writing style swings wildly between vivid, haunting descriptions of the wasted landscape, and banal, dry conversations between the father and son. Despite the colorful language used to describe the landscape, it still gets repetitive quickly as it's all the same - a barren, deserted wasteland.

Rather than a detractor, this depressing monotony reinforces what the lives of the father and son have become. Every day is the same, every day a struggle to survive. There is nothing to look forward to, only varying levels of suckiness.

I tend to be very empathic with characters, wondering what I would do in their situation. The road fed that in spades, presenting many situations of very gray morality. A very depressing book, but still good.