A Short Walk Through a Wide World – Douglas Westerbeke

Published By: Jonathan Cape
Pages: 400
Released On: 04/07/2024

If you could never stay, where would you go?

Paris, 1885: Aubry Tourvel, a spoiled and stubborn nine-year-old girl, comes across a wooden puzzle ball on her walk home from school. She tosses it over the fence, only to find it in her satchel that evening. Days later, at the family dinner table, she is stricken by a mysterious illness.

When a visit to a doctor only makes her worse, she flees to the outskirts of the city, where she discovers it is this very act of movement that keeps her alive. So begins her incredible lifelong journey on the run from her condition.

From the scorched dunes of the Calanshio Sand Sea, to the snow-packed peaks of the Himalayas; from a bottomless well in a Parisian courtyard, to the shelves of an infinite underground library, we follow Aubry as she learns what it takes to survive and, ultimately, to truly live. But the longer she wanders, the more she understands that the world she travels through may not be quite the same as everyone else’s…

*****

Thanks to NetGalley and Jonathan Cape for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.

This sounded like such an intriguing, but potentially complicated, storyline and I was looking forward to getting started, if a bit wary.

I believe this is Douglas’ first novel and what a first novel it is! So ambitious, so layered, so complex but well crafted – it bodes well for his future work.

There is no hanging about! This is right there, the first few pages, blood, mayhem and chaos. You’re right in there and you never leave it, even after you’ve finished it stays with you.

Aubry is our main character. We meet her at at different ages – from a child of 9 up to an old lady of undetermined age. In fact, we first meet her as an adult in her 30s (she’s not 100% sure), and she tells us her story through her conversations with others, which I really liked, so we didn’t get the incessant flashbacks and forwards that complicate the reading. This flows naturally and is seamless because of how he has told the story. Aubry is a fascinating creation to follow on this journey.

In my experience, I find that male authors can have difficulty writing a believable female protagonist (and vice versa), but Douglas has achieved this in spades. Aubry is fantastically written and has so many layers to her. Douglas has really got to the crux of her as a person and has made a believable, relatable (in some sense) and gorgeous woman.

I know there is more to it than this, and it’s all wrapped up in a fantasy land, but it does breach some interesting topics: the fear of the unknown, the fear of catching an illness, pain, blood, unbearable illness, the feeling of never belonging, never being able to rest, being used, loneliness, failed romantic, platonic, and familial relationships.

Amazon says it’s for fans of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, The Midnight Library, and Life of Pi. I have only read one of those – The Midnight Library – but even with that, I can see the comparisons. It is definitely of itself, it’s original and exciting, but you can definitely see some familiar fantastical elements.

I love Douglas’ exploration of the world. I know it’s not always in the most positive of circumstances, but because Aubry has to go on this round-the-world trip, we are taken along with her. It’s a harsh environment at times, confusing also, but he depicts such beauty in the mountainous ranges, deserts, sparkling oceans, busy tropical market squares, quiet coastlines; It’s like we’re travelling within the book.

It is odd, there’s no escaping that. It’s weird and confusing and almost ties you up in a loop. But I really enjoyed it. It took me a little while to feel comfortable in it because it needs such a stretch of the imagination, but once I was in it, I zoomed through. It’s really unique, clever, detailed, and a real pleasure to read. If you like fantasy/sci-fi books, but also books with deeper meanings, then I would definitely recommend this. I finished it in two days but even after finishing it, I am still thinking about it and I have soooooo many questions. A really promising debut.