Summary of The Road

The Road is a post-apocalyptic novel by Cormac McCarthy published in 2006. The book follows a father and his young son as they journey across a barren landscape of America, struggling to survive against the elements while avoiding roving bands of cannibals and other desperate survivors. In McCarthy's characteristic poetic and minimalistic style, the novel portrays the struggle for morality and hope in a seemingly bleak and hopeless world. The devoted father and son constantly battle hunger, cold, and fear as they make their way toward the coast in hopes of finding a better life. As they make their way, any thread of civilization they come across quickly disintegrates into chaos and destruction, and they soon realize that the only thing that may keep them alive is their own courage and undying love for each other.