Friday, June 14, 2013

Five unforgettable fathers from fiction

One title on the Barnes & Noble Review's list of five unforgettable fathers from fiction:
The Road
by Cormac McCarthy

This post-apocalyptic tale of a father and son trekking across a ruined America in search of the sea – and friendly survivors – is well known for its bleak, unflinching scenes of human despair; yet the relationship between "the man" and "the boy" quickly becomes the embodiment of hope. McCarthy's austere, stunning prose details a father's inimitable spirit in the face of utter darkness, and the sacrifices he makes in order to keep his son alive. Winner of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.
Read about another entry on the list.

The Road appears on Ken Jennings's list of eight top books about parents and kids, Anthony Horowitz's top ten list of apocalypse books, Karen Thompson Walker's list of five notable "What If?" books, John Mullan's list of ten of the top long walks in literature, Tony Bradman's top ten list of father and son stories, Ramin Karimloo's six favorite books list, Jon Krakauer's five best list of books about mortality and existential angst, William Skidelsky's list of the top ten most vivid accounts of being marooned in literature, Liz Jensen's top 10 list of environmental disaster stories, the Guardian's list of books to change the climate, David Nicholls' top ten list of literary tear jerkers, and the Times (of London) list of the 100 best books of the decade. Sam Anderson of New York magazine claims "that we'll still be talking about [The Road] in ten years."

--Marshal Zeringue