The Road is probably one of the best example of a good writing that transcend genres. It is a post-apocalypse story but it also a tale of humanity. It's also a tale of a father struggling to raise a child in a world surrounded by death and desperation. The book is a hard read even for me but I enjoy reading it just the same. 
 Cormac McCarthy is a master of the written words. The narrating is quite linear despite the characters remain nameless throughout the novel, depressive novel setting and the very distant third person usage. Somehow the book held a sense of depth without giving too much on common literary technicalities. Unlike any others, he restricted his characterization as any would do in the book's setting and in style but unusually, he succeeded the inner working of his characters while retaining the book's atmosphere. All without being overblown or pretentious. 
 Curiously, he never skimp on developing the relationships between the father and son by conventional means. I think this is the first book that defined "fatherly love" for me. When you have a character deeply motivated to keep his family safe and trying so hard to be morally right in a world where everyone is either dead or dying, you do come to appreciate and respect the father figure of the story. And it was so potent. 
 The book is simple but complex at the same time. Its a family love story but also a story of horror that was psychologically intriguing. But its not a novel to be skimmed in one sitting. Honestly, I do think the book and the film version can induce depressiveness. 
 "The Road" is not a book for everyone but for what its worth, it is definitely a quality reading.