This is a very profound book. The author not only describes his pilgrimage along the Camino Del Norte, he also recounts his life coming out as a Catholic, gay man. Dennis Garnhum is a very successful theatre director, playwright, wife, father, and now pilgrim.
Instead of leaving his position at the Grand Theatre in London (Canada) after Covid nearly ends his career in 2021, the author, at the age of 53, takes a five week sabbatical and walks the Camino Del Norte from Irun to Santiago.
You will cry often. “Toward Beauty” is an amazing story of love, commitment, emotional pain and ultimate resolution. Perhaps I identified more with the author than many would. Dennis’ daughter is adopted. All my three children are adopted. My eldest is gay, in a relationship, and embarking, with his partner, on a significant journey – to live off the grid in Northern Ontario. As a non-practising Catholic myself, I could relate to the author’s love-hate relationship with the church and his desire to re-connect with something that not only binds him to his mother’s memory, but has also shaped a good deal of his own personal life.
If you read only one book on the Camino, read “Toward Beauty.” It’s a beautiful story.