It took me 3 weeks to read Guernsey and it took me 2 days to read The Walk (all 305 pages). I could not put this one down. It also reads fast, which I think accounts for part of the quickness in reading this book. I was also reading in a quiet hotel room with a husband who wanted to nap. During his 2 hour nap, I read more than half of this amazing book. So, at dinner last night, I shared the highlights with Rob, who had actually heard of this book (imagine my surprise) and shared with me that he thought it was one of a series of books. Upon hearing this I began to panic. I am a fan of sequels, but I generally am not a fan of waiting for the sequel. I had not heard anything about this story other than that it was amazing and that I had to read it. So, again, I bought it and started to read it. I guess I should've realized that a man's walk from Washington State to Key West Florida couldn't really be covered in 305 pages. Especially when he only began his walk on page 155. But, I naively assumed that the story would be wrapped up by page 305 and then I could read another romance novel. How wrong I was. The Walk tells the story of Alan's walk through Washington State ONLY and is, in fact, one in a series of books. So, when I got to the end of page 305 this afternoon, I downloaded the next book in the series Miles to Go and am already reading it.
I am hesitant to relate any of the specifics of the book, because they really are crucial to the story and I feel like telling you even one small part of the plot might give things away. But, suffice to say, The Walk is about one man's journey when he feels that all he has left in the world is his ability to walk. His voice is clear (I would like to know Alan, too), he is a kind and gentle soul with a heart bigger than most, and he has been hurt in a way I hope I never know. The book, at times, is like a train wreck--you want to look away, but you can't help but watch. This book is also unfinished and is, therefore, my worst nightmare. But, since it has been out for so long, the second part is already on the shelves so I was able to access it in less than 5 minutes (I do so love my Nook!).
I am hoping that as Alan walks, his stories of the real people of the world will continue and as a result, I will learn from them. I have already been reminded that things aren't always what they seem, that most people in the world are generally good, and that love is the real reason why the world continues to go around and around. Alan also reminded me that I really should get back into the habit of keeping a journal. His mother gave him his first journal when he was 8 and told him that "it doesn't matter what [he] write[s] and if [he]waits to write just the important things then [he'll] probably never write anything, because important things just look like everything else except when you look back on them." I think this is why I stopped keeping a journal. Life just didn't seem too terribly important. And, in the 16 years since I stopped writing, look at what has happened---marriage, 2 houses, 2 kids, and a career where I've met some pretty cool people along the way. It all could be documented, but I didn't do it because I didn't think life was important enough. I think that tomorrow, after I sit and wait for my car to be serviced, I am finding a new journal and will begin to write again.
Read The Walk, and then read Miles to Go, and then we can chat about how mad we are that we have to wait for the 3rd book to be released.
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