A review by benjaminj1996
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective relaxing sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

Oh, man. 

 

When I started this is was convinced it was going to be this twee little book with predictable and patronising morals at the end. It was not. I think Joyce wants to sort of lull you into that expectation to begin with - but it makes the book even better by the time you’ve finished. 

 

There is deliberately little backstory to the events in this book until nearly at the end. I don’t know how it managed to completely catch me off guard but the ending, a mixture of things I was expecting and things I definitely wasn’t, seemed to hit me over the head like an emotional sledgehammer. It was both absolutely brutal and incredibly beautiful. I’m really impressed by the way this novel inverts expectations and has a really subtle emotional depth - until it isn’t subtle any more.