On the Road Again
In a hospice in the far north of England, Queenie Hennessey is dying of cancer. Looking for ways to put past tragedies and regrets to rest, she writes to Harold Fry, the friend and colleague she could not admit to loving. His reply is a shock. Harold has left the Devon coastal town where he still lives, and asks her to wait while he walks the 450-miles that lie between them. Wracked with guilt and not sure how long she has left, Queenie doesn't know what to do. Then one of the hospice nuns encourages her to write her side of Harold's story, in the hope of understanding and forgiveness. But will she finish her confession in time?
Companion Peace
To be honest, I was a bit sceptical about reading a sequel to 'The Unlikely Pilgrimage...', but my cynicism was grossly misplaced. 'The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessey' is not a sequel, it's a companion, filling in much of the unspoken back story of Harold, Queenie and Harold's son David hinted at in the first book. It also brought resolutions that I didn't realise I needed. Now I can't imagine one story without the other, any more than I can imagine Harold without Queenie or Queenie without Harold.
Live, Love, Laugh
'The Love Song...' could easily have slipped from heartfelt to maudlin - after all, we knew how the tale would end - but Queenie is surrounded by an eccentric but somehow charming supporting cast of fellow residents and nuns and the hospice. The comedy they bring could easily have slipped into the crass or jarred with Queenie's tale, but some how it didn't, simply giving the light relief that such an ultimately dark story needed. Perhaps it was a case of knowing that in their situation, we'd all be tempted to cast lifelong embarrassments aside and do some of the things we'd always secretly wanted to, even if it just meant wearing cheerful headgear.
More to Come
Overall, if you liked 'The Unlikely Pilgrimage...', you'll love 'The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessey'. It's an unusual tale of quiet devotion, and one that haunts you long after the last page has turned. It shouldn't be possible to be sad and uplifting all at once, so it's a credit to Joyce that she's done it again. And may even be about to do it for a third time - 'Maureen Fry and the Angel of the North' is due out in October. Perhaps I'll be ready to read that too in another ten years...
Now, what next..?
This review of 'The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessey' by Rachel Joyce is based on the 2014 hardback edition, published by Doubleday, an imprint of Transworld publishers and part of Penguin. Thank you to the publishers for providing the above image of the book's cover. For more about Rachel Joyce and her work, visit the author's website. Note that suicide and mental health issues are a theme of this novel.
