Book Review: You Are Here
You Are Here
by David Nicholls
Harper, 2024
368 pages
on Goodreads
Reviewed by Joseph A. Curro, Jr. | Arlington, MA
You Are Here is not a Camino book. It is neither a memoir nor a guidebook. Rather, it is a lighthearted romantic comedy, which many pilgrims are certain to enjoy and relate to.
The novel takes place in England, focusing on two individuals, Michael and Marnie, who are each nursing the wounds of separation and divorce. Michael, a geography teacher, takes refuge in long, solitary hikes in the countryside. Marnie, a professional copy editor, retreats into isolation and the companionship of books.
At the invitation of a mutual friend, both protagonists find themselves on the UK’s Coast to Coast Walk, picking up stones from the Irish Sea with the intention of carrying them by foot 190 miles to the North Sea.
So many themes will be familiar to Camino pilgrims. The tension between seasoned walkers and tourists adorned with brand-new, never-worn hiking gear. The dilemma of walking every step of the way or hopping onto a bus on a difficult day. The wildly varying accommodations and the fellow walkers encountered there on a recurring basis. The blisters!
The book even includes hand-drawn line maps to introduce each section, a touch we have all seen many times in Camino tomes.
You Are Here is a richly emotional story, which is laugh-out-loud hilarious, with tinges of sadness, tragedy, hope, and personal discovery.
It is a welcome diversion for a weary walker.
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Have you published a Camino- or pilgrimage-related book that La Concha has not yet reviewed? Did you produce a film on the subject that you want fellow pilgrims to know about? Drop an email to laconcha@americanpilgrims.org with the title and a brief synopsis of your creative work, and we will connect you with one of our reviewers for consideration.
