Queenie’s Sospice Book Review

Harold is nearing Queenie’s hospice. He realizes that his walk has helped him to confront some problems but they are not solved as such. The most important one of these issues concerns his son. It turns out that David committed suicide and was found hanging by Harold in their shed; Harold’s life since that day has been one of self-reproach and constant mourning. This is the reason why his relationship with Maureen broke apart, as she is clearly not over the event yet, either. However, Harold’s journey is having an effect on Maureen, too. She travels up to meet him with the intention to confront him about the silliness of his doing but instead she realizes that she has been selfish to ask him to stop the walk as Harold needed the ‘self-therapy’ of it. Unexpectedly, she asks him to forgive her these selfish thoughts. In turn, Harold himself asks her for forgiveness, too. They have clearly never spoken about their feelings of guilt and self-reproach regarding their son’s death. The novel ends with Maureen and Harold sitting together and laughing, something they have not done for years

When Harold arrives in Scotland Queenie is at the point of death and does not recognize Harold any more but Harold makes his peace with her, too.

Harold’s pilgrimage itself is both a symbol and a narrative element. People used to go on religious pilgrimages to find their center, the things that really matter, again. Though his pilgrimage is not religious, clearly Harold’s journey is one of self-discovery in which he grows. Thus it shows us that we are all our lives are a journey but the way we journey can be very different. He learns his lesson