At first numb with grief, Winn and her husband move through fury at their fate, slow exaltation at the gradual realisation that the constant hard exercise of walking, carrying and camping is actually helping Moth's symptoms, despair, misery and joy, to acceptance of taking every day of life and freedom as a gift.
There are many funny moments and also upsetting ones, particularly when Winn notes the difference in reactions when they tell people they've 'sold' their home (oh, wow, you're so lucky, have a great time) as opposed to honestly admitting that they've 'lost' everything and are homeless (cheerful chit-chat ceases and people back away hastily). It's not an easy walk; their lack of money means surviving on noodles, they can't afford campsites with bathrooms so they stink, they get sunburn and blisters. But they survive.
Issues of class arose starkly in all the books I was reading at this time: The Salt Path, Prima Facie and The Wild Hunt of Hagworthy. Was it a coincidence that all three were written in the UK? I suspect not.
I was given this as a gift and it should have been just my thing - I like walking, the coast, nature etc. And the walk itself is interesting to read about and some of the descriptive writing is great but .... I don't want to be rude on here but some of the negative reviews on other sites express what I and others feel. Some of the conversations just don't ring true - literally no-one is astonished to see someone 'old' hiking or camping and certainly no-one would exclaim in the rude way she describes.
ReplyDeleteI took the dialogue as fictionalised, certainly not word for word but the gist as she recalled it. I was surprised that so many people seemed shocked by their apparent age -- maybe that was something one person remarked on and it struck a nerve? I think the power of the story overrode the flaws for me but I can see it might not have worked for everyone.
ReplyDeleteCertainly it's fictionalised, but it's telling what the author chooses to put in random stranger's mouths. I think I also felt a little lacking in sympathy at their self-pity at being homeless when they had originally been part of the problem - renting out their barn as a holiday home instead of a long-term rent to someone local.
ReplyDeleteHow interesting, the different responses to books we have! I enjoyed this very much, could put myself in the place of the exhausted Raynor, felt the sweat and the wind and the sand... It was her first book, and I think that showed, but it didn't bother me. I think I just tune out on the stuff that doesn't quite ring true when I am otherwise enjoying a book.
ReplyDeleteAnd a beautiful cover, too.
ReplyDeleteYes, I thought the cover was lovely, too. I have read some scathing reviews now, and I can see their point (and yours too, Ann), but overall I enjoyed it a lot and found it very readable.
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