New novel about the Camino Frances

[malcolm mckay]

I have read many of the comments on this site and others about the reasons for doing the Camino Frances both before I did it and afterwards. I suppose there as many reasons for walking to Santiago de Compostella as there are people who sling a pack on their backs and take their first steps. As I walked I spoke to many other pilgrims of one kind or another (not by any means all religious) and it seemed to me that they all had a question of one kind or another to ask. It may have been practical, or physical, or emotional, sometimes questions about the meaning of their lives and actions, or more often than not I was given the answer, spiritual. Of course there were many definitions of what that meant. A priest told me bluntly, "What are you talking about, spiritual? We are walking towards the bones of an apostle here!" Others said no, that's not it at all, I need to find my own spirituality and it's not to do with any religion.
I am a professional writer (BBC, three previous novels published) and as I heard all this - and believe me there were many conversations of this kind either on the path itself or in albergues, or at restaurant tables, I began to realize that i was witnessing the most extraordinary quest. I don't mean by that a fictional, fantasy, but the real thing, ordinary, decent, intelligent human beings each asking in their own way some of the most difficult questions about their lives and how to live them. Once I arrives in Santiago I knew that i had to stay and write about all this. I felt that it would be wrong to literally describe the lives and stories I had heard (in order to protect the innocent!) and anyway that way of doing things was not what I was used to, and nor would it take me to the heart of the matter. I sat in Santiago for eight weeks and wrote a novel. One of the fastest pieces of writing I have ever done. The passion and humanity (and problems) of these people poured out of me once i had given it a fictional form. The result was The Path, my novel about the Camino de Santiago.
Without any doubt walking the Camino is one of the most profound and important things I have ever done and the novel is my contribution to the debate as to the meaning of the Camino and, to my mind, why everyone should do it. If you're interested then you can find out more about the book on The Path Facebook page. (see below.) Whether you're interested in this or not, I'd like to wish all of you fellow walkers my heartfelt congratulations and best wishes.

[grayland]

I think you may have forgot to include the "link".
Another thought to add is that not everyone subscribes to Facebook. If you have another site, it may be well to add that as well.

[Lipka149]

Once I arrived in Santiago I knew that I had to stay and write about all this.

Without any doubt walking the Camino is one of the most profound and important things I have ever done and the novel is my contribution to the debate as to the meaning of the Camino and, to my mind, why everyone should do it.

Hi Malcolm -

I envy you the freedom to stay in Santiago and simply write, especially after just finishing your Journey. It seems that you were filled to the brim upon finishing. How else to account for the words that came forth so quickly ?

I would very much like to read The Path. I searched on Facebook to no avail ... could you post a link ?

And for those who might know of your Journey only from reading here ... you may wish to pick a thought ... start a new thread ... and share a few reasons as to why, in your mind, everyone should do it ...



Many thanks, mi hermano !

PS I promise to engage you on this and make it interesting !

[malcolm mckay]

I replied to this thread but somehow lost it. I hope it reappears and if it doesn't I re-write it. In the meantime a little information. You don't have to be on facebook to get onto the Path Facebook page. And here's the link again. The Path (Camino de Santiago) - About the book | Facebook
If I haven't heard from the administrator by the end of the day I rewrite my longer reply tomorrow.

[unadara]

Hi Malcolm
Good Luck with the book..HOWEVER..I can't remember one conversation along these lines, did you start them! I had no questions at all and many people were walking because they wanted the peace and quiet to "be spiritual", closer to nature and God by walking the ancient pilgrims path. I certainly had lots of wonderful experiences and made the most of the special opportunities afforded to me, I flt privileged to be among so many people who simply put had the same goal-to walk to Santiago.
I do deliberately steer away from people who want to talk about "finding answers" and think Covey wrote somewhere about all the "women" looking for life's problems to be solved talked to him? so maybe I have an "do not go there sign" on my face!
Look forward to Alan's interaction and will certainly read your book as I can't resist "starting" most Camino books.

[malcolm mckay]

Hi, thanks for the post. I think that what you say is really interesting. Many walk the camino for it’s beauty and tranquillity. I often found it a deeply meditative process as did others I spoke to in long conversations in the evenings. No matter how much we appreciate the stillness of the unfolding path none of us can completely leave our past behind and the camino is a wonderful means of reflecting on that and considering it. Out of this comes the questions I am talking about and also what I think are incredible stories of human endurance and courage - the couple I met who walked to help them come to terms with the loss of their child, the businessman who had lost everything, including his wife who divorced him, and pounded the path for 50 kilometres every day until his shoes fell apart and his feet bled, or the man who had been in a bad accident on the camino years before and now disabled returned to haul himself up and down the mountains in order to complete his camino. None of these are in the novel because I felt that they were too raw and emotional and could only be described for what they are, which isn’t the purpose of a novel. The Path is a fiction inspired by what I heard. I don’t believe that the camino is a ethereal walk along a heavenly path. I think it is real mud, real stones, real feet and real people and in listening to their stories I felt I was witnessing real humanity in many of its forms and that’s what fascinated me. What did I think was spiritual about the camino? Well in the end I I thought the spirit in all the beauty of its inquiry resided in the person walking next to me. We all do our own camino. None are more or less valuable than any other. Yours sounds very fulfilling and peaceful.
You mention Alan. Is he the Alan I met on the camino? If so please give him my warmest regards.

[Lipka149]

The Path is a fiction inspired by what I heard. I don’t believe that the camino is a ethereal walk along a heavenly path. I think it is real mud, real stones, real feet and real people and in listening to their stories I felt I was witnessing real humanity in many of its forms and that’s what fascinated me.

Hi Malcolm !

Well ... I read your book. There is no doubt that you wrote about real people and the reality of how feelings/emotions are expressed in human behavior. Well done, sir ! I humbly offer the following review ...

The Path is unlike any other book I have read about the Camino. Many have been written and they are either first person memoirs or helpful guide books. None have had the broader effect that fiction allows, bringing with it characters that allow a reader to judge them in their own light, without being judgmental of the author. It may be hard for many to relate to Shirley MacLaine's story, but I suspect there would be few who could not find themselves in any number of characters portrayed in The Path.

The Path was not an easy book to read. While the setting was familiar to me, and it was enjoyable to recognize the places and conditions of my own Walk, it was really just a background that allowed the characters to confront themselves and each other. But because I was there, and I know first hand what the struggle was, I could relate to the characters much more easily. This was a trap that I fell into, and resulted in an uncomfortable identification with the characters as they revealed themselves. There were several times when I had to put my Nook down and stop reading. Too much was going on inside of me.

The beginning of the book introduces the characters in quick succession, with just enough background to lay a foundation for what is to come. In all honesty, they are really quite boring. Personalities develop, interactions take place, and more interest is generated. El Camino dominates in its description and effect.

As relationships form between the characters, El Camino takes a background role. Still, everything seems a bit superficial. We find the characters familiar and predictable. Certain mundane behaviors become apparent. There is the bombastic fool, the bitter professional, the drunk, the flirt, the hopeless romantic. We know all these folks. So the trap is laid ...

Conflict develops. Feelings, which are to this point accepted, begin to turn into actions with consequences. These consequences are not pretty. I, as a reader, was offended by the language certain characters were using, and disgusted by the failure of others to change their ways. I was shocked by the violence and abuse, both maliciously given and sadistically accepted. Warped priorities, silly notions, and unrealistic expectations abounded. Every character seemed to be a fuse on fire, burning towards an explosion.

And then something happens. Would love to tell you what ... but that would ruin it, wouldn't it ?



Suffice it to say that everything explodes. The beauty lies in how the pieces fall back into place. For some, the Walk continues. Others return to their lives with a new perspective. Only one finds peace.

It is unfortunate that The Path could not have taken a different title. The Never Ending Story would have been better, but it's already taken. I admit to a bias about El Camino, that it is not an end in itself, but a means to one. IMHO, it is how we continue to live after our Camino that determines its value. And it's not about dramatic changes, but the incremental improvements we apply on a daily basis. El Camino de Santiago is a backdrop to real life. Malcolm McKay puts into new meaning what I have learned from another British author, perhaps a bit more well known ...

"The road goes ever on ...

[malcolm mckay]

Hi Alan, thank you for reading the book and your comments. I'm pleased that what you had read had meaning for you and some of it anyway reflected your own camino back to you. As you say the book is a fiction, but I tried to use the challenge of the walk both physically and psychologically to test the characters and their relationships. And i agree with you the camino itself is just a beginning, the road goes on and on! Very best wishes, Malcolm

[Lipka149]

Without any doubt walking the Camino is one of the most profound and important things I have ever done and the novel is my contribution to the debate as to the meaning of the Camino and, to my mind, why everyone should do it.

Hi Malcolm -

So having read your novel, and being of like mind as far as El Camino being "one of the most most profound and important things I have ever done", my question would be why you suggest that everyone should do it.

Everyone ?

Hmmmm .... an interesting topic for a book club discussion.

Shall we begin ? Everyone is welcome !

[unadara]

The debate!
One immediate response..profile of pilgrim, 68yrs American, tough cookie, ship's captain, ex-services, vietnam vet, one of our "camino family". Said..first day over Roncevalles was hell, every day after that was purgatory, he was going to recommend the "Camino" to all his fellow parishioners as he felt they should all suffer as he did.
I am sure the Camino is not for everyone. I hill-walk, and do Mountain Challenges..I know that this type of long distance on basically flat terrain is not for most of my fellow walkers. I have said in other posts that I feel it was/is a privilege to have had the opportunity/experiences that I had. I hope that others will get the calling to go and do their own Camino and wish each individual the same happy/painful/glorious experience as mine/can't be I know BUT..

[malcolm mckay]

Thank you very much for your comments. It really is gratifying that you take the time to read and then write. There are essentially 2 questions. Here are my responses. I'm asked why I think that everybody should do the camino. I think there are many reasons but essentially it's because we all live lives that become trapped in their own circumstances and problems. That's not to say in any way that they are necessarily bad or difficult lives, many will be great, but there is always a need for a little space for ourselves, for us to reflect on those things we believe in and to ask questions that maybe we don't always have the time to consider in the usual hurry and problem-solving that takes up so much of our time. I've said that I think that everyone on the camino has a question to ask. They needn't be big questions or small but they are always personal. My experience on the path was that every pilgrim i met had something somewhere on their mind. I want to stress that this needn't be a big philosophical or psychological problem, just something they wanted time to think about. The camino gives you the space to do that. Step after step, mile after mile, things slowly change. I don't think that the camino necessarily provides any answers but I do believe that the person who's asking the question is slightly different at the end of it.
As to the second question which asks whether everyone is physically capable of it I'd say that the questioner is of course right. There may well be those for whom it's impossible, but I will say that I met several on the path who were overcoming enormous physical difficulties - weight, disability - in order to get to Santiago. As the priest says towards the end of the book (And I have to admit this is me speaking) "I learned two things on the camino, the first that we can all do more than we think we're capable of and 2) If you're looking for the spirit then it's in the person walking next to you. Maybe those two things answer the two questions. All best, Malcolm. PS if anyone wants to start a book club I'd be very happy to participate.

[Sue]

Hi Malcom,

I just finished The Path and wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed it! I could not put it down. It was very well written and thought provoking. I asked myself many questions while reading as your characters looked into themselves. I see some of the people I know with a new light because of it as well as my encounters in general with others... much more positive and compassionate which I thought I had always done but realized could so even more. I will be recommending it to friends. I confess it makes me want to walk the Camino even more than before. Thank you for a wonderful story. Looking forward to reading any future books you may write. Best wishes to you.

[malcolm mckay]

Thanks Sue, I'm delighted you liked the book and had a good read.

[malcolm mckay]

YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN THIS REVIEW OF THE PATH AS APPEARED IN AMAZON.By


buffalobill - See all my reviews


This review is from: The Path (Kindle Edition)
This is an absolute gem of a story. From the first page I found myself thoroughly absorbed in the curious world of this disparate bunch of modern day pilgrims walking the ancient long distance route across northern Spain. The richness of the characters, their stories and their different reasons for embarking on the Camino de Santiago are delightfully woven together and teased out in a way that kept me turning the pages long into the night on more than one occasion. I was enchanted, amused, enraged and saddened in turn by their all too human failings as they desperately seek answers that mostly evade them and often leave them wondering if they are asking the right questions. Drawn together by their common enterprise, they find themselves changing, usually in ways they neither expected nor wished. A number of dramatic twists await them on the road to Santiago and the unexpected ending is as thought provoking as it is entertaining. The book gives a tantalising glimpse of life on this ancient pilgrim route with none of the pedantic detail of a guide book. More than this, it offers a wryly humorous, engaging, well observed and occasionally profound insight into the greater journey that, one way or another, we are all on.