Rachel Joyce
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce tells the story of Harold, a timid retiree who makes a spur of the moment decision to walk 600 miles to visit a former colleague dying of terminal cancer.
The novel opens with Harold receiving a letter from Queenie Hennessy whom he hasn’t heard from in decades. Queenie is saying goodbye because she is dying of terminal cancer. A man of few words, Harold pens a short note and walks to the nearest mailbox to post it. Once there, he realizes he is not quite ready to post the note and decides to walk to the next mailbox. From there, he decides to walk to the post office. And from there he makes a spontaneous decision to embark on the 600 mile walk north to say goodbye to Queenie Hennessy in person.
Ill-equipped to make the long trek, Harold forges ahead in his yachting shoes. He walks and walks in all kinds of weather; without a map or a phone; and in spite of leg cramps, blisters, worn-out shoes, and threadbare clothes. He makes periodic phone calls to his wife, Maureen, to update her on his progress. And he updates the hospice where Queenie is staying, convinced he can keep her alive until he gets there.
As he trudges along, one leg after another, Harold evaluates his life, his difficult childhood, the decisions he has made, his relationship with his son, and his current estrangement from his wife. He recalls the joy the two felt for each other when they first got married. He develops an appreciation for the beauty he finds in nature. He meets people along the way who share their life-stories and challenges. Eventually, Harold develops a temporary following of make-shift pilgrims, each of whom has a personal reason for walking with him. He becomes a reluctant media celebrity and is relieved when all abandon him to continue the walk alone. He arrives at his destination and sees Queenie at the final stages of her life. He is joined by Maureen who has also used the time apart to reflect on their relationship. The novel ends with their reconciliation and a celebration marked with laughter.
In a series of episodes, Harold encounters people in varying stages of life, dealing with different challenges. Some show him kindness; some exploit his celebrity status for their own ends. They confide their secrets to him because it is easier to do so to a stranger. Throughout, Harold is non-judgmental and compassionate.
The epigraph for the novel is from John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress. This suggests Harold may be perceived as a contemporary Everyman figure embarking on a spiritual journey that leads to forgiveness for past failures and reconciliation. Told in simple, straight-forward language, Joyce’s novel is a testament to the resilience and fragility of the human spirit and its capacity for forgiveness.