... written by that teller of sweet, sappy, happy-endings stories, Richard Paul Evans. Printed by Simon Schuster in 2018 so it is quite recently printed. He has written dozens, including a number of stories for children and young adults. This one is a small book, just over 250 pages, and an easy read. Something that could be finished in a day if you did not have to go to work, do laundry, prepare meals, care for a house full of needy children.
I was at the library over the weekend, looking for entertainment, something that would not be so intense it would keep me from drowsy when I go to read myself to sleep at night. Several have been so alarming lately, anxiety inducing, I would be hesitant to turn out the light for fear those creepers in the dark would be able to sneak up on me. This was definitely not the case with the story of Charles James, a successful business man who accidentally found himself reading his own obituary.
He missed a flight he was supposed to be on that crashed soon after takeoff, with no survivors. Actually showed up at the memorial service, sitting on the back row of a large rented space, and surprised there were so few attendees. He decided to reconsider his life, disappear and re-evaluate. Though wealthy and well-known, success-driven, Charles was lonely with an ex-wife and child living in California, while his base was Chicago. He packs a few belongings, and a wad of cash, starts walking Route 66, planning to go to Santa Monica, to plead his case, and ask his ex to take him back.
It is a sweet story, with enough detail about the trip, stops along the way, scenic detours as he tried to stick closely to the original route. There are places it has been replaced by interstate highways, areas where it no longer exists, but with maps and a willingness to travel the by-ways, venture off the busy thoroughfares the trip proceeded. He meets a number of interesting people who impact his life, and help to change his perspective/thinking. I was surprised when the book ended with him only half way to his goal... but maybe there is another at the publisher? Possibly a little fluffy, as opposed to serious literature, but an interesting story. The details included to make it believable were so precise, I had to wonder if Evans had acutaly done the trek, or possibly made the trip by auto, to be able to provide such specific details about people, cafes, museum, stops Charles made along the way
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