The Unlikely Pilgrimage Of Harold Fry

The Unlikely Pilgrimage Of Harold Fry
by Rachel Joyce

First published in Great Britain in 2012.

You know that saying - 'never judge a book by it's cover'?  Well, I was on a bus one day and it stopped at a stop which had this book advertised on the side of it.  I got off the bus, went into a bookshop and bought the book.  I did have a quick flick through and read the blurb, but essentially I was drawn to this one because of the cover.  It worked.  The book is wonderful.

Harold Fry is a elderly man who is retired and lives with his wife Maureen on the south coast of England.  One ordinary morning he receives a postcard from Berwick-Upon-Tweed, the northernmost town in the country.  The postcard is from Queenie Hennessy, an old friend, telling Harold she is dying from cancer and saying goodbye.  This comes as a complete shock to Harold, who struggles to write a reply.  When he has done so, he leaves to post the letter...and carries on walking.  His journey with no map, waterproof or mobile phone and wearing only boating shoes takes him the length of the country.
Along the way he meets lots of different people who all help him somehow, whilst Maureen is left at home wondering what has happened to her husband.

Joyce writes in quite a simplistic style, which lends itself very well to Harold's way of thinking - to him, he has to walk so that Queenie lives.   The chapter in which he meets a silver-haired gentlemen is so full of emotion that I get a lump in my throat every time I read it.

Harold is a kind, gentle man who finds it difficult to express his feelings to his wife, but easy to talk to strangers. At one point other people join in his walk (think of the running scene in Forrest Gump), but he refuses to get caught up in the publicity.
As well as Harold's journey, we also see Maureen's side of the story.  From her worrying to her confused acceptance, it's obvious that she loves Harold above all else but doesn't quite know what to do outside of her country garden.

The story is quintessentially English, with the plot taking us through some of England's best known cities and places.  The geography doesn't overpower the story but rather shows the affinity that the characters have for the country.  My copy has a map of Harold's journey at the end, which I kept flipping to as I read so I could place where I was up to.

This book made me smile, cry, and smile again.  It gave me a faith in people doing the right thing and made me want to help people.  It's not the most fast-paced of books but it's a great one for reading on a train, a bus, or while dreaming about travelling.