A man and his son are traveling through an apocalyptic world where there are no good people left. The son’s mother committed suicide right after he was born because of the knowledge that one day he would only be raped and killed right before her. The son and father try to make it to the warmer south, struggling to survive in their frigid environment. They travel with nothing but a shopping cart with their belongings. The father has to keep a gun in case marauders try to kill and eat them. They encounter many hardships which threaten each of their lives but luckily they find aid in the wreck of a ship. Many of these challenges occur throughout the novel and the father struggles to find meaning in his life and thinks his only purpose in life is to protect his son. As they walk they are forced to hide from potential killers and are even required to kill for survival. The father keeps two bullets in his pistol for him and his son. He figures that one day they will be caught, raped, killed, and eaten by other survivors and keeps these two bullets in case of the worst. They see dead bodies littered on the floor and staked on wooden posts of those not so lucky to escape each other's blood lust. Unfortunately, after the long, grueling journey, tragedies are unavoidable and survivors must move on (no spoilers). It was worth the journey though for some, for what must be a better life.
The book starts off slow but the story is incredible and the author provides subtle glimpses of the past. The author does not use quotation marks in the book so sometimes it is hard to tell what are thoughts or speech, and what is present or memories. This is great because It blends some things together that make the journey seem all the longer and harder.
I really loved this book as it is the perfect apocalyptic read. There is some graphic, violent imagery but the vivid description adds to the story and really helps the reader visualize and feel the environment completely. Overall, a wonderful read.
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