“You have my whole heart. You always did.”

The first time I read this book, I was hiding under my dad's desk at my high school so he wouldn't find out I left class early. I was in the middle of a three month long sickness that made me feel like I was withering away. For reasons I didn't quite understand at the time, this book resonated with me and became my favorite book. 

The thing about The Road is that it's not for everyone. I've met people who do not want this book in their home because it either scared them or infuriated them. This is a book in which the end of the world brings about the darkest corners of human nature. It is in many ways horrifying, including McCarthy's writing style. Many find the lack of punctuation and blunt storytelling to be unbearable.

But all of this is what I loved about this book from the get go. I have read a few others of McCarthy's famous works, and they reflect something very admirable about the author. He writes in order to tell the stories. That is all. He has absolutely no need or desire to please anyone with his work. It is refreshing to see an author who is so daring and audacious in his writing. 

My favorite aspect of The Road is the way it treats hope and the way it reflects on mankind. The story centers around a man and his son, walking day by day through the derelict remains of civilization. The man saw the world fall apart while his son was born in the aftermath. This creates a beautiful, dynamic relationship between someone who grew up in our world and someone born long after the lights went out and the people started devouring each other. The reader gets to see the different ways the boy and the man react to each situation they find themselves in. 

The driving force is the man's love for his son. Even though his hope is all but shredded as they pass piles of skulls and run from cannibals, he will not allow it to fall away from his son. He teaches him how to survive while also assuring that he knows the true difference between right and wrong. 

I adore this book because the visuals are absolutely lovely. McCarthy can turn even the most hellish of landscapes into exquisite writing. The book was written as a love letter to McCarthy's own son, and the authenticity of every heartbreak and fear and small joy makes it all the more memorable.  

Number Two:

The Book Thief 

By: Markus Zusak

"I am haunted by humans." 

This book is a lot more widely loved by readers. I read it a few summers ago on vacation, and found myself in a sobbing mess by the time I reached the last page. This book is heartbreaking in a way that is so real that I felt weighed down and torn apart when it was over. The characters that Zusak creates are full of life and love and you can't help but adore them for their bravery and the way they care for one another. I still cannot bring myself to watch the movie because I don't quite know how I'll make it through without uncontrollably weeping. 

But it is not only tragedy that moves the story forward. It is the endearing way we get to witness wild acts of courage that show the light in unbelievable darkness. In a book narrated by death itself, Zusak gives us a story that makes us feel so, so alive. It's the type of book that compels readers to be better, to give more to the world and to be strong for Leisel, Rudy, Hans, Rosa, and Max. 

I also loved the new perspective this story gives us of World War II. Zusak puts us right in the middle of the happenings surrounding Hitler's takeover, and the risks taken by those who dared to be defiant. While it is a work of fiction, it creates a deep appreciation for anyone who saw what was taking place and refused to be a part of it. These characters reflect true people and communities that make us think about what it would be like to find ourselves in that situation. It prompts readers to ask themselves how they would handle the outstanding injustices that took place every day. 

Number Three:

The Descendants 

By: Kaui Hart Hemmings

You’re a dad-ass. Like a badass but older.”

This book takes family drama and throws it in a blender and makes a tropical smoothie out of it. Set in what most people would call paradise, the reader follows a man floundering in his marriage and his relationship with his strong willed daughters. After a horrible boating accident, he must face harsh realizations and take a journey that leads him to the doorstep of his wife's lover. 

This story is unapologetic with a brutally honest narrator, but it also has the perfect amount of humor mixed in. The narrator handles the extreme situations in such unique ways. Even if the reader has never been a spouse or a parent, he makes it so easy to relate to the pain and frustration that comes from a broken love. 

Another outstanding quality of this story is the colorful contrast between the two daughters and how their quirks and qualities reflect in their father. The story shows what's it's like to be left in the aftermath of infidelity, irreparable damage, and the death of someone who built a family and then tore it apart.