Book Review: A Short Walk Through a Wide World by Douglas Westerbeke

Rating: 3.5⭐

“Now she knew, without a doubt, that she did not command the world, but was at the mercy of it.”

In 1885, Paris, nine-year-old Aubrey Tourvel finds a wooden puzzle ball on the side of a road - an incident that changes her life forever. Her discovery and inability to dispose of this “magical” puzzle ball will lead her down a fantastical dream-like journey that will last decades -- a journey that Aubrey is compelled to embark upon on account of the life-threatening affliction that strikes after she stays in the same place more than just a few days.

I found the premise of A Short Walk Through a Wide World by Douglas Westerbeke fascinating and was drawn to it because of its comparisons with The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and Life of Pi , both of which I’ve enjoyed.

I enjoyed Audrey’s journey as she explored the world in its wonder and beauty, facing precarious situations while learning valuable life lessons from her experiences along the way. I admired her resourcefulness and resilience in the face of adversity, loneliness and the constant fear of succumbing to the strange disease that plagues her. Aubrey’s encounters gain her recognition and though she meets a fair share of people in the course of her travels, not all of her experiences are pleasant. While she does meet some who betray her trust , she also finds people whose generosity and kindness overwhelm her. The author keeps us interested in Aubrey’s life with a flow of interesting characters and enthralling adventures along the way. I was curious to know how her life would eventually turn out. Unable to return to the same place twice, we can't help but wonder what will become of her once she has nowhere else to go to outrun her affliction. The magical realism aspect was well executed in the story and I found the concept of the magical library and Aubrey’s connection with it quite intriguing.

The narrative does suffer from pacing issues and slows down considerably in parts with a lot of telling rather than showing which is to be expected on account of the narrative following Aubrey over seven decades. We don’t get to explore Aubrey’s connection with the other characters simply because of the limited amount of time she spends with them. Reading about these brief encounters, a few that are more impactful than the others, soon became a tad tedious. The non-linear narrative detracted from my overall satisfaction in that though I was curious and could sympathize with Aubrey’s plight, the slightly disjointed nature of the narrative and the emphasis on other aspects of the story kept me from connecting with the character on an emotional level. Perhaps a deeper exploration into Audrey, the person, would have enriched my reading experience. I did enjoy the ending despite the ambiguity.

Overall, this was a skillfully crafted, wondrous story that touched upon themes of survival, belongingness and human connection that I liked but did not love.

I should mention that there are episodes of animal hunting/cruelty featured in the narrative (one particularly graphic description of the same that I found particularly disturbing!).

Many thanks to Avid Reader Press for the digital review copy via Edelweiss+. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This novel was published on April 2, 2024.