Reading "The Long Road", I found it to be a very entertaining blend of contrasts. It's written in a style that is somehow both Literary and Conversational, mixing humor with despair, sarcasm with pure hopefulness. Since the story is constructed as a modern fable, that means 'anything goes' with regard to odd situations and not-so-subtle metaphor. The author's clever wit pokes through often, twisting a cliché here and there and making the story's outlandinsh events still be something the reader can relate to. The author's take on the "life is what you make it" theme is treated with such singular flair - that what might seem heavy-handed or obvious somewhere else, is enjoyable and refreshing here.