Harold Fry, the most ordinary of ordinary men. Early sixties, very recently retired, in a loveless marriage full of regrets and bitterness, Harold is merely existing rather than living. Every day is the same and there appears to be nothing to look forward to or a variation in the daily routine. He is probably typical of many men, and women for that matter, who get to a certain stage in life and seem to either forget how to live, run out of steam, or are so stuck in a rut they can't see any way out.
One day, just like any other, a most surprising letter arrives for Harold from a former work colleague, Queenie. Queenie is terminally ill, in a hospice some 600 miles from where Harold lives. It is not until the end of the book that the reader learns of the significance of the relationship between the two, which perhaps makes his actions at the beginning of the story rather surprising. Harold promptly replies to Queenie and determined for it to be in that day's post, proceeds to walk to the nearest post box to post it. And he simply keeps walking, deciding after a chance encounter with a young girl in a burger bar, that such a letter needs to be delivered in person, that Queenie needs to remain alive until he can deliver his message, and so he keeps going, and going and going.
Now 600 miles at even 7 miles a day is still 85 days of walking! Clad in only boat shoes, a light waterproof, and no cell phone, somehow, against all sorts of odds Harold walks 600 miles. And there are plenty of odds. Initially Harold is quite incapable of looking after himself, and so is forced to rely, unexpectedly, on the kindness of others he meets along the way. Gradually his resilience builds, both physically and mentally, and he becomes quite adept at meeting the challenges his long walk throws up. Once that happens he finds himself with plenty of time and space to reflect on his life, contemplate his mistakes, his regrets, his marriage, his efforts at being a parent, Queenie herself, and his relationships with the people he meets on his journey. Until, by the end of the book, the Harold at the start has evolved into a completely different Harold. As has his wife Maureen, left at home alone, who also undergoes her own life reflections process.
And does he make it to see Queenie? Not telling...
This is such an inspiring story, with all sorts of issues being covered, not necessarily exclusive to people approaching old age - retirement, grief, changes to long term intimate relationships, apologies that need to be made, terminal illness, depression, physical decline - but certainly very prevalent from perhaps 60 years old onwards. Not being of that age yet, but seeing how many older people do get to live in rut, reading this book has made me more determined that I will not let it happen to me.
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