This is from my Books to Read list, and I can't remember where I heard about it. It is the story of the author and his mom traveling to Europe, but also the story of his relationship with his father, who died when he was 12. McGirr was, at the time of the trip, a Australian Jesuit priest, and that colors some of his comments about the trip in a way I hadn't considered, especially in England. Ostensibly, this is a travel book. In reality, however, it is about traveling one's own history, and that of one's parents. It's not a particularly deep book, but it has a few insights, and the reader gets to know and appreciate the author. His mom is finely drawn primarily because of the amusing comments she makes. She is at once fiercely practical and daringly satiric.
The book ends with McGirr's return to regular life, but the flap says he's a "former priest" so I'd like to know what happened between the trip and the publication date. Time to do some research.
No comments:
Post a Comment