by Rachel Joyce
First published 2012
Harold Fry receives a letter that changes everything. Queenie Hennessy, a woman from his past, writes from hospice to say goodbye after twenty years of silence. Harold starts to mail a quick response, but a stranger's words stop him cold. He decides he must walk to Queenie instead. Harold sets out in yacht shoes and a thin jacket, believing his journey will keep her alive. His wife Maureen watches him leave their English village for a 600-mile trek across the country. Harold has no map, no plan, just conviction that each step matters. The walk becomes more than distance covered. Harold confronts memories he buried, choices he regrets, and the man he became. His marriage, his failures, his lost connections surface with each mile. The road strips away his quiet desperation and reveals what he truly owes Queenie and himself.
Genres: drama, literary-fiction, family-life, contemporary
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, redemption, second-chance
Setting: England, English Village
Period: Contemporary
326 pages · ebook · Random House