One word: bleak. Have you ever read a book that gave you a stomach ache while you were reading it? The Road by Cormac McCarthy was probably the most difficult subject matter I have ever read. That being said, a friend of mine also described it "like reading one long poem." In fact, The Road was awarded the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.
In a post-apocalyptic world, a man and his son struggle for survival and hope to find a better life on an undefined coast. It is freezing cold and they constantly scrounge for their next meal. I found myself wondering why they wouldn't just kill themselves? The author leaves the reader with absolutely no hope that better things are to come. But the love between them (their names are never mentioned) will make you weep. By the end of the book I was actually bawling out loud. I can't think of another book that affected me this way, although I can't put it in my top ten. It was just too emotionally draining.
Mitch Albom's book did that.. remember the one that was so popular..Tuesdays with Morrie -- it's such a simple read that parts make me cry... still
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