Wednesday

This morning (after hanging some washing on the line) I sat in the sun to read a little.
At the moment I am ready The Road, by Cormac McCarthy.  The cover of my edition reads "a work of such terrible beauty that you will struggle to look away".  So true.  For those who have either seen the wonderful movie adaptation, or read the book, will know it is the story of the journey of a father and son post Apocalypse.  McCarthy's writing style lends itself beautifully to the sparse feeling of the book.  The language is beautiful - there are times that my heart aches when reading about the love between the man and the boy.  David was really affected when we watched the movie and afterwards just had to go and sit on Nicholas' bed and look at him, asleep.

There is a passage in the first pages of the novel that stayed with me for days:

The road was empty.  Below in the little valley the still gray serpentine of a river.  Motionless and precise.  Along the shore a burden of dead reeds.  Are you okay? he said.  The boy nodded.  Then they set out along the blacktop in the gunmetal light, shuffling through the ash, each the other's world entire.

 I found those last words beautiful.  Each the other's world entire.  The feeling of being alone in the world and wanting to do whatever you had to to ensure your child was safe.

Another passage:

They slept huddled together in the rank quilts in the dark and the cold.  He held the boy close to him.  So thin.  My heart, he said.  My heart.

The Road is a novel I would recommend that everyone read, even just once in their lifetime.  I am hoping that by the time Nicholas is in high school that it appears on the school reading list.  McCarthy's writing is extraordinary.  You would think he has lived the Apocalypse.  While the topic sounds dreary, I cannot emphasis how simply beautiful this novel is.  It is a pleasure to read and, although I am not yet finished, I know I will feel changed having done so.

I thought of adding the movie trailer to this post, but while the movie is outstanding, I felt the scenes in the trailer did not do justice to the movie if it was to be the first impression someone got of the story.  So instead, I'll add Viggo Mortensen interview about the book.  He played the father in the movie, and well, who didn't love his role of Aragorn in Lord of the Rings?? :)



On a lighter note, David and I watched a delightful French film last night, Delicacy.



It was a lovely story and beutifully filmed.  Anything filmed in Paris always makes me want to go back! :)