The Road is McCarthy’s most accessible and arguably his best book. Ultimately it has a positive message and moral lessons for father/son relationships. But also there is some deep, dark, scary, shit in it that when subtracted from the post-apocalyptic setting are things that regular people have to face and endure though not in the same circumstances. McCarthy never lets on about how the world got to where it is, it’s all about survival and trust. Is everyone just out for themselves or is there still compassion and unconditional love left in what remains of humanity? I love McCarthy’s older work, my favorite is probably Blood Meridian and/or The Crossing. I’ve read nearly all of his books and I think The Road is his most succinct, most artfully distilled creation. After reading it I was struck by its power for a long time.