The Road by Cormac McCarthy

This is possibly the most harrowing yet brilliant novel I have ever read.

It is the story of one man and his son, and their struggle to survive in what seems to be a post apocolyptic world. He has no hope but for the joyous spirit of his child.

I think McCarthy demonstrates exactly the dichotomy it is to have a child and to have a duty to protect them, even when all else is hopeless.

Pick this up, and when you put it back down you will be contemplating your future, the world and your place in it.