Review: The Walk (Walk #1) by Richard Paul Evans

4.5 stars for The Walk (Walk book 1) by Richard Paul Evans.

Though it has been years and I cannot recall the story details of The Carousel (Locket book 3), the one and only book written by Richard Paul Evans which I own in dead tree version, I still remember having read and love it much. With that, I decide to revisit Evans and this time his Walk series.

The Walk is a heart-rending and poignant tale that sets me first on an edgy trail and then a tear-jerking path as I read along. Written from first person account and parts in diary style, the narration comes across as sincere and genuine as if it is a true-life account instead of fictitious literature. The story tells of a man’s turbulent journey to life discovery, how he grapples with the ups and downs that life throws at him and how he eventually learns that the choice is his to make; he can choose to be a victim of circumstance or master of his own fate.

I love it that the story is divvied up into small manageable chapters which make reading easy and a pleasant experience on top of being trouble-free finding a spot to pause for a break. I will highly recommend this book to those who have limited spell of time to spare. And yes, this is definitely a journey worth travelling.

Publisher: Simon & Schuster; Reprint edition
Publication date: 6 Apr 2010

*** Favourite Quote ***

Unsettled Seattler unsettles the settled.

~ The Walk
Richard Paul Evans

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Excerpt

According to legend, once the sand of Key West is in your shoes, you cannot go back from whence you came. It is true for me. I’m alone on the beach watching the blood-red sun baptized in the Gulf of Mexico. And there is no returning to what I left behind.

The air is saturated with the smells of salt water and kelp and the sounds of breaking waves and screeching seagulls. Some part of me wonders if this might be a dream and hopes I’ll wake in bed and find that I’m still in Seattle, and McKale is gently running her fingernails up and down my back. She would whisper, “Are you awake, my love?” I would turn to her and say, “You’ll never believe what I just dreamed.”

But it’s no dream. I’ve walked the entire length of the country. And the woman I love is never coming back.

The water before me is as blue as windshield wiper fluid. I feel the twilight breeze against my unshaven, sunburned face, and I close my eyes. I’ve come a long way to get here—nearly 3,500 miles. But, in ways, I’ve come much further. Journeys cannot always be measured in physical distance.

***

Blurb

This is the first book in The Walk series, a story about the physical and spiritual journey of Alan Christoffersen.

What would you do if you lost everything—your job, your home, and the love of your life—all at the same time? When it happens to Seattle ad executive Alan Christoffersen, he’s tempted by his darkest thoughts. A bottle of pills in his hand and nothing left to live for, he plans to end his misery. Instead, he decides to take a walk. But not any ordinary walk. Taking with him only the barest of essentials, Al leaves behind all that he’s known and heads for the farthest point on his map: Key West, Florida. The people he encounters along the way, and the lessons they share with him, will save his life—and inspire yours.

*Excerpt and Blurb from author's website*

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