April 15, 2012
In the third book in Evans' The Walk series, which chronicles a man's journey across the country on foot after the devastating loss of his wife, Alan Christoffersen is forced to face his demons. Picking up where Miles to Go (2011) left off, Alan is confronted by Pamela, the mother of his dead wife, McKale. Pamela left her husband and daughter when McKale was just a child, and Alan wants nothing to do with her. But Pamela refuses to give up, doggedly tracking Alan, determined that he hear her out. The question of forgiveness comes up more than once on this leg of Alan's journey. As he continues on through South Dakota and Missouri on his way to Key West, he encounters a Holocaust survivor and a lonely single mother. Some of the twists are predictable, and some of Alan's encounters are more than a little saccharine, but there's no doubt that Evans knows how to keep the pages turning. A cliff-hanger conclusion ups the stakes, putting Alan's journey in jeopardy and ensuring that readers will come back for the fourth outing. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: There's no stopping now; readers of the previous titles in Evans' best-selling series will be eager for this installment.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)
May 1, 2012
Evans' third novel in a series (Miles to Go, 2011, etc.) about a troubled man who must learn to forgive. Alan Christoffersen is well into his walk from Seattle to Key West. He's a widower who still grieves. Friends had cheated him out of home and business, so he up and walked away from it all. Maybe at the farthest point on the map he will find grace in his heart. Along the way, a series of interesting people test his character and help illuminate his soul. His mother-in-law, Pamela, is the first of them as she tracks him down along the road and begs to talk. Alan refuses, but she will not be denied. Although well told and moving, this part of the plot tests credulity. Pamela had abandoned her young daughter McKale, who years later married Alan. Now Alan is so bitter at her treatment of McKale, he won't give Pamela five minutes to talk. Really? Maybe earlier books make this premise easier to buy. Anyway, this is at the core of the story. Who needs forgiveness more: the offender or the offended? If Alan can forgive, perhaps he can shuck his burden and find grace along his path. In one small town, a lonely woman comes to him in the night and begs for his love. Perhaps no other scene in the book better shows his character. Although the book is not specifically religious, Alan clearly shows his spirituality and cares deeply about who he is. A fast and pleasurable read with plenty of local color and enough sentiment to evoke a tear or two. Although this installment can stand on its own, a reader's best bet is to begin with the earlier books.
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