The Pilgrim – a Review

My Review

A few weeks ago, I set myself the target of getting the final draft of The Wanderer Reborn finished before sending it off for its ‘proper’ edit. The problem was, I also decided to read The Pilgrim by Joy Margetts. Not a good combination, as it turns out! Why?

Hard to put down

Because I struggled to put The Pilgrim down and get on with my edits! The Pilgrim is gripping – which seems rather ironic, given that the central plot revolves around a slow and steady pilgrimage. There is no fast-paced action here, as you would expect. However, whilst the plot beautifully and gently meanders over the North Wales countryside, it is the characters that keep you turning the pages.

Outstanding characterisation

I soon discovered that Joy has that rare skill of creating utterly convincing characters that are lightly sketched but impress themselves heavily on the reader’s imagination. Take the main character, Hal. His journey begins when he is led astray by his loveable but slightly roguish older brother, Robert. Having been introduced to the delights of worldly pleasures, Hal then falls head over heels in love with a forbidden woman. I immediately felt compassion for Hal, seeing in him the reckless abandon of every impassioned young person who is incapable of reason as hormones and passions rage within their soul. Unfortunately for Hal, the encounter has devastating consequences.

Beautiful writing

The author does something exquisite at this point. She describes the single defining moment in this young man’s existence with one simple sentence. The power of that sentence is in its subtlety; we do not immediately grasp the consequences for Hal’s life until we see his complete breakdown in the following pages. 

Historically astute

Hal is destined for a life in the church, one of few vocations available to a younger son of a respectable landowner. And in the middle ages, this meant a monastery. Immediately the reader knows the unsuitability of this vocation for the young man, yet, what choice is there? Faith played little part in entering this vocation, and the variety of characters that Joy describes within the church aptly display the inconsistencies of pre-Reformation Christianity.

Of course, there were many true believers doing their best with limited scriptural availability and often poor leadership. It warmed my heart to encounter the various positive mentors that Hal, or Brother Hywel, met along his pilgrimage (the pilgrimage itself being a ‘compulsory suggestion’ by one of these mentors when Hywel puts his foot in it at the monastery.)

Poignant plotting

The character of Madoc was particularly interesting. Despite his gruffness, I immediately liked him, sensing a sincerity beneath the old soldier. The other members of the pilgrim party all have their part to play in shaping the man that Hywel is to become. 

I shan’t give away any more of the plot because I don’t want to spoil your enjoyment of this wonderful book. Suffice to say, it is well worth a read. Indeed, I would venture to say it is the only book I’ve read recently that I will definitely read again. There is certainly more to explore in this novel – you will get your money’s worth. I certainly look forward to reading The Healing, which is Joy’s other novel featuring Brother Hywel.