Walking with Sam: A Father, a Son, and Five Hundred Miles Across Spain

Walking with Sam: A Father, a Son, and Five Hundred Miles Across Spain by Andrew McCarthy (2023), 256 pages

Those of a certain age will remember Andrew McCarthy the actor. Evidently, he has also become a decently well-known travel writer. I read this for a couple of reasons: 1. I had a huge crush on Andrew when I was a teenager and 2. I am currently virtually walking the Camino de Santiago (through one of those fun challenge apps). 

This is nice memoir. There is nothing earth-shattering but, if you are a parent with children who are about to leave the nest, it will likely resonant with you. Who hasn't wanted more time with their child, especially when you know how fleeting it is? I give McCarthy credit for being honest in all the feelings we have as parents from fiercely loving our children to wishing they would just grow up already. He is reflective in his parenting and, who among us doesn't have regrets? I 100% see my children in Sam. He is the self-involved teenager growing into his awareness of the larger world and his place in it. 

The novel has also made me realize how much I do not want to actually walk the whole trail. I completely understand why people do, but I am not that person. At most, I would walk the last 100 kilometers. Sam rightly has bitterness towards these folks as this is the minimum you can do to get certified for completion, but, alas, this is all I would do and still be pretty proud of it.