One harrowing adventure after another carries this book along as a dad, his teen son and a teen girl friend, plus their dog, cross the US to find the man’s younger children. The book is as serious as it is touching, as humorous as it is violent. It presents a typical view of what we assume a postapocalyptic world would be like.
This is not for the faint hearted. There is killing and horrific scenes of wrecked vehicles. There are gangs who prey on travelers and there are good people trying to maintain a sane community. It is a fair picture, overall.
If I were to criticize anything it would be how the father and son, and friend, are all so nice all the time. Very little snapping and blowing off steam as would happen in my family. Mistakes are smoothed over without fanfare. That part is a bit unreal for me.
The best part, by far, is the dog and his antics. I love how he is included in the story, often for comic relief, but also as savior in some situations. There are pluses and minuses to traveling with a high energy dog as the story shows time and again.
A word about the narration: I enjoyed the narrators voice, but found that the character voices weren’t very distinct at times. Usually I can tell who the character is by the voice, but not in this case. Not a biggie, but notable.