If you are ever headed for a pick-me-up and need to let the sun shine in on you for a change, I suggest you head in the opposite direction, as far away as you can. While this book is brilliant, it is probably one of the bleakest things out there. Imagine a Lord of the Flies or Heart of Darkness world, but in this case, the lonely protagonist breaks off from the band-gone-evil, and as a result, does nothing but suffer. The themes of goodness in a world of godlessness weigh heavy, and the sentences are often exquisite, echoing of something Biblical, if only this were a world where a luxury like a god had room to exist. The ray of hope at the end is a muffled beam of eclipsed light breaking though a rotted roof where menace might shadow at any second — a complete gut punch. Lastly, of the four Cormac McCarthys I have read (Blood Meridian, The Crossing, and No Country for Old Men), this one is unique, because it is not just a lonely traveler, but a lonely traveler protecting his son and partner, with his son being his only conscience and will, making for a truly conflicted existence. God, was that agony. Really well done agony.