Re-Read
This is a story stripped to the bare essense of all humanity. There is nothing left of the physical realm. No life. Not even shelter or small comfort. No distractions of time or place, only survival. Only ugliness, hopelessness, death. Relecs from a seemingly make believe world, useless. Even dreams are void. Humankind reduced to scavenger at best. At BEST. For the most part now, at worst, more depraved and without remorse than the lowest form of animal. Monstrous even. Both hunter and hunted. The smallest glimpse of beauty, now exceedingly rare, the love of parent and child. That's it. It is a desperate love, all consuming, relentless. It also is the saddest love as one will have to leave the other, the hardest thing especially in this terrible landscape. Some humans still, despite the desperation, carry the fire, the goodness, the will to strive forward against all odds. Dare to have hope. Alas, most do not.

I find this book somewhat flawed in a way. The apocalyptic world was not done very well, imo. But it's Cormac McCarthy. Even a flawed Cormac McCarthy is worthy of 4 stars. Anyway the apocalyptic world is secondary to the man and the boy and their journey of hope.

This book breaks your heart and gives a glimmer of redemption at the same time. It's bleak though. Probably not for everyone.

ps After thinking about this for a little while it's almost like the boy symbolizes the Christ-child. He is pure of heart. He wants to feed the hungry and clothe the naked. He feels compassion and love and pain for humanity and knows how they all suffer as he suffers. He feels the need to offer comfort however small. "Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers, that you do unto me". He carries the fire (the holy spirit) given to him through the father. He is born to the world and left in a world that is defiled and hostile. A star (the flare) is sent to the heavens to herald his arrival. He is risen on the third day, taken in and raised by someone not his true father who now resides in the spirit. And we don't know for sure as the story ends, but he just may be the savior of mankind.

anyway, yeah