The author, Kenneth R. Strange Jr., is a larger than life character. A former member of the FBI and an acquaintance of Martin Sheen, this American author from California is a practising Catholic, fluent in Spanish, speaks some Arabic from his time in the middle east and is married to a Filipino nurse. He is a “hail fellow well-met” type of pilgrim – like him or leave him……and many did.
In all fairness, there were many who still loved him and spent a great deal of time walking with him and his wife. He is an endearing character. Someone who would give you the shirt off his back, you just have to put up with his ego. However, to his credit, he walked the full Camino France´s, carrying his pack and meeting fellow pilgrims along the way. Kenneth is a “people person.” So much so that he dedicates chapters in his book to the interesting pilgrims he has met.
I liked Kenneth’s book for the detailed accounts of his walk and his encounters with other pilgrims. I just had to take a break from time to time. His presence in the book is overwhelming. It is very much the story of an American on the Camino. Even though the author lived in Spain as an exchange student for a year, and spent a good deal of time in the middle east, there is never the sense that he is an international person.
The book is well written in a conversational style and a fairly easy read. However, I didn’t find the empathy here that I have found in other books. I think it might have been difficult for the author to be vulnerable, and accept some emotional frailty.