Bleak, grey, desolate. This book is our worst nightmare.
"A father and his son walk alone through burned America. Nothing moves in the ravaged landscape save the ash on the wind. It is cold enough to crack stones, and when the snow falls it is gray. The sky is dark. Their destination is the coast, although they don’t know what, if anything, awaits them there. They have nothing; just a pistol to defend themselves against the lawless bands that stalk the road, the clothes they are wearing, a cart of scavenged food—and each other."
The author pretty much drops us in the middle of an unknown atrocity that has left the world to be this bleak and grim place. The movie offers more explanation of why the world looks the way it does but it still doesn't offer much clarification of what exactly caused the apocalypse. We just follow a father and son who take to the road, not staying in one place for too long as they try to head to the coast. They struggle to find food and have to keep away from "the bad people".
The descriptive writing in this book perfectly captures the bleak atmosphere of a hopeless, stark post-apocalyptic society that our main characters are unfortunately stuck in. The movie did an excellent job in executing this bleak world.
So, which did I prefer? I loved the dialogue between father and son in the book more, but I appreciated the fact that there's at least a hint of an explanation for the cause of this new world in the movie, whereas in the book you're kind of left in the dark. I don't think I prefer one over the other, as where one lacked, the other picked up and vice versa. I'd say it's a tie for this one for me!
My Book Rating: 4/5 Stars
My Movie Rating: 4/5 Stars
MOVIE TRAILER FOR THE ROAD
Comments