Pulitzer 2007
Thursday, October 18, 2007 by Juliette
At the outset I was not sure I would stick with this book. A few pages in and I was glued to every phrase. Compulsive desire to read just a few more pages developed.
I was asking myself, how is it that a sad, depressing account of a barren and bleak world with two characters moving from one moment to the next in an apparently unending and pointless journey hold the reader. As I reflect I think it may have something to do with the love shared between father and son. This gave the journey hope or was it simply the raw survival instinct? Their were tensions, the power of love and the fight for survival bought me face to face with the big question ‘what would we have done in their shoes?’ Right and wrong, love thy neighbour – all so very easy in a land of plenty. Not so easy when you hear the boy simply state that they had killed the man, even though they had walked back to put his clothes back on the road.
I kept asking myself why are they continuing, what do they expect to be the end point, is it the raw instinct to survive? On reflection of course they were continuing for the same reason that I had to turn the page, they were persevering with the hope that the next step would be the salvation, the good news.
I did want to know about the past, had the mother killed herself, what had actually happened to create such ash, devastation and obliteration of civilisation as we know it.
And what about the inner fire of the boy – was this hope, the spiritual being within …
I found the ending strange, slightly unexpected, and was not quite sure what to read into the last paragraph. All I know was that the last paragraphs were beautiful language and reflected the profound nature of this work. This book will speak to me long after it is back on the shelf.
I was asking myself, how is it that a sad, depressing account of a barren and bleak world with two characters moving from one moment to the next in an apparently unending and pointless journey hold the reader. As I reflect I think it may have something to do with the love shared between father and son. This gave the journey hope or was it simply the raw survival instinct? Their were tensions, the power of love and the fight for survival bought me face to face with the big question ‘what would we have done in their shoes?’ Right and wrong, love thy neighbour – all so very easy in a land of plenty. Not so easy when you hear the boy simply state that they had killed the man, even though they had walked back to put his clothes back on the road.
I kept asking myself why are they continuing, what do they expect to be the end point, is it the raw instinct to survive? On reflection of course they were continuing for the same reason that I had to turn the page, they were persevering with the hope that the next step would be the salvation, the good news.
I did want to know about the past, had the mother killed herself, what had actually happened to create such ash, devastation and obliteration of civilisation as we know it.
And what about the inner fire of the boy – was this hope, the spiritual being within …
I found the ending strange, slightly unexpected, and was not quite sure what to read into the last paragraph. All I know was that the last paragraphs were beautiful language and reflected the profound nature of this work. This book will speak to me long after it is back on the shelf.
