Book Review: The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

It's been a fair while since I read any 'modern lit'- I seem to have convinced myself that in order to adequately prepare for university I need to devote all of my attention to classics -but my Granny lent me this book because she thought I would enjoy it as much as she did. Of course, she was completely right- this is without a doubt the loveliest book I have read in a long time, possibly since The Elegance of the Hedgehog or Never Let Me Go, both of which I read whilst on holiday last year.

There were times whilst reading this that I was worried it was going to descend into a repetitive account of the protagonist's walking, or at least I was worried at the beginning of the novel- but I must say, I was pretty wrong on that judgement. Joyce beautifully weaves Harold's thoughts into the narrative, despite her use of third person narration, in a way that reminded me a little of Woolf's use of stream of conscious narration in Mrs Dalloway- and it worked really well to convey his wandering mind as well as his wandering feet. Throughout the novel pieces of the jigsaw of Harold's memories are placed in one by one, rendering the book totally un-put-down-able, and it really reminded me of the way my own memories can surface without me even remembering registering them enough to become a memory. Another element I found particularly touching is the relationship between the protagonist and his wife, Maureen- as that too ventures on a journey as Harold's walk continues.

The most thought provoking part of the story I found was the weight put on the way other people can seem totally ordinary to you, but they could be hiding something- say, a memory or a questionable habit -inside of them, but passing in a street you would never know- unless, as Harold does, you allow people to stop and talk to you. 

I'm not saying that I now want to walk the country end to end, and discover all of the secrets of strangers, but I'm definitely going to try to be more aware of the idea that you never really know what people are going through. I'd also like to do a bit more walking. Maybe not in boat shoes, though.