Pilgrim

Louise Hall. The Mercier Press. (288p) ISBN 9781781176160

I started Pilgrim reading very little of the information that came with it and immediately felt embroiled in the little town in Yugoslavia in the 80s, the atmosphere and behaviour of the residents and the officials reminded me of my times in Yugoslavia in the early 80s before the break up. Both warm and welcoming and cold and official, thankfully the warm and welcoming was the most prevalent.

Pilgrim sees a Dublin family, Charles and Jen, struggling to come to terms with the death of their wife/mother. Jen tries really hard to keep things going but Charles just keeps going downhill, unable to come to terms with Sarah’s death.

In Medjugorje, several children claim to have witnessed the Holy Mother, this story entwines so many characters into on story about grief and faith. Though there are a lot of characters in this story each comes with its own unique voice and motivation and following these guides you deftly through the depths of the novel.

Beautifully written and beautifully descriptive, if you like your fiction contemplative you will love this.

I was given a review copy of this book in exchange for a review on an Anne Cater blog tour.