Book review: The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

"Life was very different when you walked through it."

Harold Fry is a retired middle-class old man living a conventional life with his wife, Maureen. He has never done anything unexpected; every day is the same for him. Until one morning when he receives a letter from an old friend and work colleague, who is dying of cancer and wishes to say goodbye to him. He decides to reply and leaves home to post the letter, however he realises that a letter would not be enough and he makes the decision to walk all the way from Kingsbridge to Berwick Upton Tweed to save this woman’s life.

He walks 600 miles wearing the same shoes he had on when he left home, buying some new clothes on the way, passing through villages and towns, meeting people and listening to their stories, reflecting on his life, his marriage, his past and his future. 

It is an unlikely journey. Some people encourage him to go on and sympathise with his cause. Others are negative about it and try to persuade him to give up. Indeed, there are times Harold Fry has doubts and is on the verge of returning home. Yet, something inside him urges him to continue and soon he and his “pilgrimage” become widely known and many decide to follow him. Will Harold succeed in reaching his friend on time and save her in spite of the hardships and difficulties he faces during his journey?

From one point of view, this is an extraordinary book. It refers to not only a physical but, also, a mental journey and it shows that the destination is what counts in the end. How someone finds himself through the mere act of walking, turning into his self, going through memories, emotions, regrets and the ghosts that have been haunting him all his life. Alone on this quest, Harold has the chance to face all these, and redefine the way he lives his future. He is an ordinary hero, with a sweetness and a sadness that will make you remember him long after you finish the book.

+ touching, thought-provoking story

-  a slow, bit repetitive narrative 




(written by FK for Walkley Library)




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