The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce
Synopsis.
Meet Harold Fry, recently retired. He lives in a small English village with his wife, Maureen, who seems irritated by almost everything he does, even down to how he butters his toast. Little differentiates one day from the next. Then one morning the mail arrives, and within the stack of quotidian minutiae is a letter addressed to Harold in a shaky scrawl from a woman he hasn’t seen or heard from in twenty years. Queenie Hennessy is in hospice and is writing to say goodbye.
Harold pens a quick reply and, leaving Maureen to her chores, heads to the corner mailbox. But then, as happens in the very best works of fiction, Harold has a chance encounter, one that convinces him that he absolutely must deliver his message to Queenie in person. And thus begins the unlikely pilgrimage. Harold Fry is determined to walk six hundred miles from Kingsbridge to the hospice in Berwick-upon-Tweed because, he believes, as long as he walks, Queenie Hennessey will live.
Still in his yachting shoes and light coat, Harold embarks on his urgent quest across the countryside. Along the way he meets one character after another, each of whom unlocks his long-dormant spirit and sense of promise. Memories of his first dance with Maureen, his wedding day, his joy in fatherhood, come rushing back to him – allowing him to also reconcile the losses and the regrets. As for Maureen, she finds herself missing Harold for the first time in years.
And then there is the unfinished business with Queenie Hennessy.
THE UNLIKELY PILGRIMAGE OF HAROLD FRY
Rachel Joyce
Harold Fry sets out to respond in kind the only way he knows how to a letter from a dying friend on their deathbed. He writes a hasty reply and sets off down the street only to arrive at the mailbox sooner than he would’ve liked.
He decides he’s not ready to let go of his letter yet and not quite ready to let go of his friend. He makes a plea and sets out on a journey-a pilgrimage of sorts.
And with each step he takes forward he takes a step back and looks over the stories that make up the man he’s become. Good or bad.
Will he ever come to rest? Or will he forever wander, walking or still?
I instantly felt at home within the pages. Many lines stuck with me and oftentimes I reflected on my own life and all of the moments that felt in line with Harold’s perspective and pondered those that didn’t.
I took the warnings written between the lines wholeheartedly about a life missed sitting within the confines of a comfortable lounge chair.
If only we could miss some of the harder lessons simply by gaining an ounce of knowledge from a book.
This was such a great book to read at the beginning of the year. It felt like a bit of self-help from the fiction section of the bookstore.
A book that’s hidden messages about faith and healing, grief, loss and sorrow, and the overwhelming power of being seen all wrapped up in a story about a man that wouldn’t stop walking.
THE UNLIKELY PILGRIMAGE OF HAROLD FRY…⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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