I enjoyed this book. It was slowly paced and had a very sad undertone throughout, which was perhaps how I was feeling with a house full of sick children and husbands (well only one husband). My days of the last few have consisted of running between bedrooms, bathrooms and kitchen dispensing water, hydrolyte, paracetamol, vegemite toast and lots of comforting back rubs, leg rubs and head stroking. And not to mention all I had to do for the children ....
Anyway back to Harold. The sadness was due to Harold and his wife Maureen's life not even half lived. Given the circumstances of his childhood and the era in which he lived (he is over 60 now) and the fact it is middle class England (stiff upper lip), one can see how he came to act the way he did - unable to act on his best intentions, regretting all he didn't do for his son, his wife and his friend. He had for all his life pushed these memories and regrets aside to live his day to day life, assuming this was the way it should be and always would be.
But a letter from a dying friend, who he had in the past done a dreadful wrong by, and covered it up shakes him out of his uncomfortable comfort zone.
So he starts walking and the walking forces him to shed the shadows of his memories and to confront his past inaction and ineptitude. It is dreadfully painful emotional stuff to read for someone super sensitive like me, but at the same time freeing for Harold and therefore a necessary discomfort. The ending is not super sentimental which it could have been or anticlimatic either - but nicely handled.
It is well written and not too slow going - with the right amount of descriptive, plot and personal development for my liking.
Similar reads include Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonsen, Dona Nicanora's Hatshop by Kirstan Hawkins - both of which I loved.
Labels: Reading
