By Rachel Joyce
Harold is a kind, gentle man who had a very difficult childhood. His Mom left when he was thirteen and his dad kicked him out of the house when he was sixteen. He marries and has one son. He has just retired and receives a letter in the mail from a former colleague, Queenie who informs him that she is dying. He writes a short note in response and sets out to post the letter. But the letter never gets posted. Harold decides to deliver the message to Queenie himself by walking.
His journey which turns out to be a five hundred mile walk from the southern tip of England to the northeast coast of England to Berwick-Upon -Tweed gives him plenty of time to mull over many, many events in his life and to examine the relationships he has had with people. If any of you hike you know how easy it is to let your mind wander and for you to go over things that you have experienced in your life. And you know how you end up analyzing certain situations finding that you are pleased with some of the outcomes and not so pleased with others.
I found myself going to a map of England to follow Harold’s progress. The author does a brilliant job of telling Harold's life story; it is like peeling the layers off of an onion. At first you see just a retired man who seems complacent and dull but as the story progresses you see so much more. This walk that Harold set out on ultimately turned into a pilgrimage to save a friend and to save him. This will make a good summer read and a good book club pick.
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