A Camino long since disappeared

A Hug for the Apostle, by Canadian author Laurie Dennett, was originally published in 1987. The 2019 edition is described as “a lightly revised version of the classic memoir of the Camino.” I discovered this Camino classic during lockdown and enjoyed teh journey on which it took me. Laurie Dennett’s observations of life on the Way lift the curtain on a Camino long since disappeared, yet still familiar to the C21 pilgrim. In an addition to the 2019 edition, an essay called “Looking Back: Then and Now”, Dennett notes that she was one of only 1,900 pilgrims, most of whom were Spanish, who walked the Camino in 1986. Even during the pandemic in 2020, some 54,000 pilgrims walked to Santiago – about 15% of those who had walked the previous year. She has a keen eye for detail, both in her portrayal of interactions with people along the way and in her vivid descriptions of buildings and landscapes. The travel narrative is interspersed with historical details and poignant reflections on pilgrimage, which takes this book far beyond many contemporary Camino chronicles. As I listened to the audio book I often found myself pausing the narration to ponder an insightful passage. I would highly recommend that you too take the time to walk the Camino with Laurie Dennett. She is an excellent companion – even though she enjoys walking alone – and will open your eyes to new ways of seeing this ancient pilgrimage.

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