A review by martymohito
The Pesthouse by Jim Crace

3.0

I found this book quite engaging. At first you think that the book is set in the 1800s, pioneers in the mid-West of America heading East for better fortune after an apocalypse of some sort. However the more we get into the story it seems that in fact we are some time in the future but America has gone back to basics, clothes, transport, living, even the dialect is 1800s. THe story is interesting enough but the parallels with The Road by Cormack McCarthy are very obvious. Both books revolve around a family unit escaping from an apocalyptic event across a grey landscape. The meet a group of bandits along the way, they travel along a road to the East to the sea, which is a symbol of hope. Only in both novels the main characters are disappointed when they reach the sea. It is not the gateway to a better life that they both expected. I had to check which novel was written first to see who might have influenced who (The Road was first, published in 2006). Still, I enjoyed The Pesthouse. A little simple, the plot takes a few big jumps along the way. I'm glad I read it and it kept me interested to the end.