Despite Cormac McCarthy's reputation as an artful stylist, The Road represents both the logical conclusion and a kind of ultimate triumph of American minimalism, which became known in the 1980s under the banner of Dirty Realism. The Road is a much more gripping and demanding book than its predecessor. The new novel does not let the reader go and will also permeate their dreams. The Road is not science fiction, nor is it an allegory or a critique of how we live now, or how we might live if we continue on our current path. It poses a simple question that is more challenging to the imagination and much closer to the actual business of storytelling: What would this world look and feel like without humans? McCarthy answers these questions brilliantly with his attention to detail.