The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry - a book review... of sorts

This is not really a book review per se. As in: it is not a classic book review. It's not trying to be. It's more of a collection of feelings and thoughts that lingered with me after having read it. It's not going to be structured, it may be confusing at times, I'm not trying to be professional or to adhere to any sort of "rules" of what a book review should be like. It's probably not going to be useful in any way for anyone, I simply have the desire to write something about this book. The pinnacle of what I could hope for is that it may be interesting for some people to read and maybe, possibly, if I'm very lucky, make them want to pick up this wonderful piece of writing in the next bookshop.
The only thing I will actively try to do is not to spoil the reading experience for those who haven't read it.
so... enjoy... I guess? :D

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry - by Rachel Joyce

Now, where do I begin...
What a beautiful book. I literally couldn't put it down either, I read this 319 page edition within 2 days and the only reason I didn't manage in one was that I bought it at about 10pm, had a two hour skype session after reading the first few chapters and had to go to sleep about halfway through because it was about 2am if not 3 and I had to take a much needed sleep break.

It's difficult do describe it somehow, I can't quite seem to find the words. I think a little introduction of sorts may be needed. I will simply quote the summary from the inside flap thing of the cover (you know what I mean..) because there's no way I could summarise or rather introduce it any better:

"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 at the heart of Rachel Joyce’s remarkable debut. 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 fascinating 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."

I think this book is wonderful for so many reasons. 

The writing style is light and fluent and for me, somehow has a charming innocence about it which contrasts some of the heavier themes and the actually pretty serious underlying storyline and makes it all the more moving because of it's simplicity. It is also undoubtedly intentionally written this way.

There are no overly complex descriptions or explanations, no extreme over-dramatic-ness, just a pure and simple feeling of being, in a way. It's not purely factual, not without emotions, not objective and yet.. I don't quite know how to say it, Rachel Joyce doesn't "overdo it" which is exactly right for the story but still she managed so easily to grab my heart in her hand, hold it tenderly and let it fly in some places and then make it heavy and squeeze it super tight in others.

She wonderfully manages to describe feelings and situations without being in-your-face obvious about it. She masterfully hints at things and lets the reader's imagination and life experience fill in the gaps and interpret some of the more ambiguous statements for themselves. She thereby displays an incredible and frankly quite impressive knowledge and insight into the human mind and psyche not only through her story and her characters but also through her prose.

Harold and Maureen have been given a perceptible voice through the way their passages are written, I immediately "got" who they are and I immediately loved both of them, despite or maybe because of their many "faults". 
I love Harold and Maureen, you can't help feeling with them, rooting for them, hoping, wishing with all your heart that they may find happiness again, that things will finally sort themselves out, that Harold will succeed in his quest, that all will be well. 

Every character, every story, every individual is so absolutely believable, so recognisable as someone you may know, someone you may have met, someone you may have heard of and yet they are all unique and special. We are all the same, but we are all unique, but we are all the same... It's one of the underlying messages and it's a rather unavoidable truth. "The dilemma of being human" as it says so well in the book... 

The story overall is so touching, so quintessentially human in both a good and a bad way, so that it will make you cringe and shake your head but give you hope and make you smile practically at the same time.
This book will make you cry and it will make you chuckle, it will make you think and consider and reflect, it will make you frown and it might just possibly make you see and understand a little bit better. 
Do not expect an easy ride because it is also scruplelessly honest when it comes to the nature of human beings, which can be hard to read because it is like the metaphorical mirror in front of your face and a bit of a wake up call for dreamers and helpless optimists like me but that is also the very thing that makes it so very refreshing and enjoyable. 

Right... and that's that! I hope that I made some kind of sense for someone at least :P 
Point being - definitely read it! It's a lovely book and a total must-read in my opinion. <3 <3 

Piece out,
Jill