Cormac McCarthy’s got to be feeling pretty good right now. The last few months have witnessed incredible successes - both critical and commercial - for his novel-turned-screenplay, No Country for Old Men, and his latest literary endeavor, The Road. Both books currently occupy the Top 10 Bestsellers in Paperback Trade Fiction as published by the New York Times, the film version of No Country for Old Men - both adapted and directed by the Coen brothers - has garnered four Golden Globe nominations (including one for Best Picture), and - here’s the real commercial kicker: The Road has earned McCarthy the almighty Oprah’s multi-million dollar stamp of approval.

Not a bad day at the writing desk.

Yet what is perhaps more overwhelming than the recent hail of critical and commercial praise for the 74-year-old McCarthy’s collective work, however, is the literal firestorm of post-apocalyptic fury he pours into The Road. McCarthy - who has been compared to such American scribes as William Faulkner and Herman Melville - is unrestrained, unapologetic and agonizingly haunting in his latest work, which I would not hesitate for a moment to name the best book I’ve read in the past year. Did I mention earlier that The Road was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2006?

McCarthy’s novel centers upon an unnamed man and his unnamed son in an unnamed post-apocalyptic landscape, pushing a shopping cart filled with scrounged belongings toward the coast in search of life. Somehow, McCarthy - known for his sparing economy of language - finds his soul in the ghostly, burned forests and ash-peppered farmhouses that dot the searing landscape of his vision. That The Road is a dark book is undeniable; yet it is also the story of perseverance against the unspeakable, the power of human love, and, ultimately, sacrifice and redemption. This book will shake you, scare you, and, without question, seize your heart.

Rating: 5/5