The Unlikely Pilgrimage Of Harold Frye by Rachel Joyce

Harold Frye has retired and he's not sure what the rest of his life will be.  For the past six months, he has basically sat in his house with his wife Maureen, and done nothing.  He and Maureen don't have much of a marriage anymore; in fact they barely speak.  She spends her time cleaning and cooking and making it very evident that she resents doing both.

But things change with the delivery of a letter.  It is a letter from a former co-worker, a woman named Queenie Hennessey.  Harold hasn't heard from her in years since she left the firm suddenly and the news now isn't good.  Queenie is writing to tell him that she is dying and remembers their friendship fondly.

Harold writes a quick letter back.  He starts off out the door to walk to the mailbox but when he reaches it he decides that its a nice day and he will walk to the next mailbox.  He continues to do this until by nightfall he is several miles away from home.  Along the way, he meets a shop employee who tells him about her aunt who hung on for much longer than the doctors expected because she had things to look forward to.

That's it.  Harold calls the hospice and tells the nurse who answers to tell Queenie to hold on, that he is on his way.  Although it is hundreds of miles, Harold firmly believes if you just keep walking you will eventually reach your goal.  As the days turn into weeks, his trip becomes a pilgrimage that is widely publicized, although Harold can't figure out why.  As he walks, he goes back over his life and where it went wrong and thinks about how he can change things at home.  Will he make it to Queenie's side before she dies?

This novel was nominated for the Booker Prize in 2012.  Harold is an interesting character and the slow unfolding of his life and secrets will keep the reader's attention.  The novel provides plenty of things to think about, how our own lives might be different than we expected, the mistakes we let take over our lives, and what is truly important in life.  This book is recommended for readers of literary fiction.