“The Walk” by Richard Paul Evans – The Resurrection of Life
As we grow older we tend to build our own worlds; they are composed of our interests, hobbies, career, memories, experiences, friends, family members, love interests, and so on and so forth. One of the greatest fears we all share is to lose it all at once, to be left with absolutely nothing, perhaps even less than square one.
In The Walk by Richard Paul Evans we encounter such a man: Alan Christoffersen, an advertisement executive from Seattle. In the blink of an eye, he loses the love of his life, his job, and his home. Long story short, the only things he has left are his essentials, and himself.
With no real sense of direction, Alan decides to go on the longest walk he’ll ever take: across the country, to Key West, Florida, the furthest place he could find. Along this journey, Alan is destined to encounter many interesting characters and learn quite a bit about human nature and life itself.
The Walk is the first novel in a series of five, so as you can guess, this journey throughout the country is a rather long and detailed one. It moves at a slower and rather enjoyable pace, with the protagonist having no true sense of urgency, no longer truly needing to follow the concept of time for the most part.
He has every spare moment in the world to think about all that has happened to him, often branching off into different topics, with a great deal of thought being given to each one. However, in a certain other sense, the book moves quickly enough that you won’t feel that things drag on or that the next page can’t come fast enough. It all flows seamlessly together.
In its entirety, the journey is about a search for hope and meaning, the exploration of what loss means in life, how to come to terms with and the importance of doing so, and where redemption can be found. The whole thing is so captivating, at least in part, due to much of the story being relatable in one way or another, playing on the most primal and basic fears, wants, needs and concerns an overwhelming majority of us share.
In the end, it’s an enthralling reflection on the darker side of life, and if you are looking for a slower and more introspective novel, one that will take you on a grand journey into the essence of life and the human mind, then I heavily suggest you check out The Walk.
In The Walk by Richard Paul Evans we encounter such a man: Alan Christoffersen, an advertisement executive from Seattle. In the blink of an eye, he loses the love of his life, his job, and his home. Long story short, the only things he has left are his essentials, and himself.
With no real sense of direction, Alan decides to go on the longest walk he’ll ever take: across the country, to Key West, Florida, the furthest place he could find. Along this journey, Alan is destined to encounter many interesting characters and learn quite a bit about human nature and life itself.
The Walk is the first novel in a series of five, so as you can guess, this journey throughout the country is a rather long and detailed one. It moves at a slower and rather enjoyable pace, with the protagonist having no true sense of urgency, no longer truly needing to follow the concept of time for the most part.
In its entirety, the journey is about a search for hope and meaning, the exploration of what loss means in life, how to come to terms with and the importance of doing so, and where redemption can be found. The whole thing is so captivating, at least in part, due to much of the story being relatable in one way or another, playing on the most primal and basic fears, wants, needs and concerns an overwhelming majority of us share.
In the end, it’s an enthralling reflection on the darker side of life, and if you are looking for a slower and more introspective novel, one that will take you on a grand journey into the essence of life and the human mind, then I heavily suggest you check out The Walk.
 | Richard Paul EvansPersonal site Richard Paul Evans is an American author who graduated with a B.A. from the University of Utah. His best-known work is probably The Christmas Box series, though the Michael Vey series he penned recently certainly deserves its share of recognition. He is also the founder of The Christmas Box House International, an organization to sheltering and protecting abused and neglected children. |
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