Walking With Sam
If someone asks you if you want to go and take a walk, ask them how far?
The new book by Andrew McCarthy, “Walking With Sam,” starts off with a conversation with McCarthy asking Sam, his son, if he wants to go for a walk? Sam’s first reaction was to think of a short jaunt to a local store. Then Sam realized what his dad was asking. The audiobook helps paint the picture of the landscape that father and son are about to embark on.
As you read the first paragraph, you might be wondering if Andrew McCarthy is the same Andrew McCarthy from movies such as: “Pretty In Pink,” “ST. Elmo’s Fire, and “Weekend At Bernie’s.” Yes, he is that Andrew McCarthy. He has also directed the TV show “Black List” with his buddy James Spader.
Professionally, I was aware that McCarthy was a writer. Did you know he has been a travel writer for over 20 years? News to me as well, Oh, McCarthy is outstanding as a writer. Not that he needs my accolades. McCarthy can get your attention by explaining a situation or a place using descriptive words to help you feel you are right there with him. You will feel as if you are walking with him and Sam. As a writer, I learned so much just by listening of using descriptive words.
Walking with Sam is a story of the two McCarthy boys trudging 500 miles across Spain along the Camino de Santiago trail. Andrew McCarthy is doing this stroll for the second time as the elder had done this foot travel before marriage and kids. The journey now is as a father with his 19-year-old son making a trip that may change the relationship between the father and son.
Would you make this trip? How about solo?
The one constant throughout the book is the need for coffee and Coke. Each morning the goals are to find breakfast, coffee and the battle of getting Sam out of bed. Can you relate? I can, well, the coffee part. We will talk more about waking teenagers later on.
Listening to the struggles of finding food each morning before they head out for the next journey getting on the path might inspire you to go for a morning walk for 12 miles. Hence why you will want and need so much caffeine.
Early in the trip, we began meeting characters that would be woven into the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela’s final destination in the Spanish province of Galicia. We meet people like “Irish,” “The Boys,” and “James.” My personal favorite was James. He had done the Camino 20 times! James stated that he would do the walk twice a year and loved to sleep outside. Maybe James was my favorite because he likes red wine.
In March, my son Connor and I drove back to Denver from Long Beach, California. As I listened to the book, it reminded me of my trip and having organic conversations. My original thought was to have topics, but McCarthy proved my point during his time with his son Sam that it is better to have conversations pop up and not require a syllabus.
The McCarthy men have normalised conversations. Topics of divorce, music, and the Zombie apocalypse are only a few we learn about from their discussions. McCarthy talks throughout the book about his lack of a relationship with his father and hopes that this trip will help bond him and Sam even closer. During the walk, we discover Sam is dealing with his first adult breakup, and he ponders relationships and who to trust. Should Sam make a social media post to say happy birthday to his former girlfriend is an interesting conversation. McCarthy talks about how he is grateful that he did not need to deal with social media as a young superstar. We get to eavesdrop on these father-and-son walking therapy sessions.
If you went on a road trip, who is the one person you would want to hang with?
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One commonality for me was the morning ritual of getting Sam out of bed at an early start. If you have ever traveled with your kids and knew you needed to be on the road early, but your child loves to sleep too much, listening to McCarthy rouse Sam out of bed normalizes parenthood.
We learn much about the trail’s history and some of the towns along the route during the walks. Many of the lessons reminded me of my father, who, as we would to downtown Chicago, would offer tidbits of the architecture of the buildings we would be passing by. Of course, as Sam hears his dad spewing knowledge, I can picture him looking at his dad with just a blank stare as I did when my dad would offer information. The thought in your head is of having zero interest. Honestly, I was fascinated with the schooling by McCarthy.
Sam speaks about not liking having to go from one house to another because of his parent’s divorce. As a child of divorce, having to bounce between homes was something that you, a child of divorce or a parent of divorce, can relate to. I found Sam’s statement emotional on two levels. One, I was a child of divorce and could relate. The second was I was divorced, and my son Connor had to go through that ritual.
One of the questions that McCarthy created in my mind is should parents and their kids be friends? My opinion is yes. McCarthy was no. What do you think?
The true magic of the audiobook is listening to the dialogue between father and son. We can feel the love when they speak from the heart but also sense the tension of the early morning frustrations of getting Sam out of bed and on the road. Listening to Sam ask questions to his dad about why the divorce from Sam’s mom. We also get to hear the origin of why, as a young man, McCarthy walked the Camino for the first time.
McCarthy was inspired by the book “Off the Road” by Jack Hitt. In other interviews, McCarthy said it was a chance and random choice when he picked the book in an airport bookstore. The book was what McCarthy needed as he was going through some personal struggles and felt that the quest could be what he needed.
Listening to McCarthy talking about the people they meet along the trail and learning about some sub-characters is so much fun. One example is “Roger,” who constantly takes taxis instead of walking. He says his knee hurts. You will also listen and maybe want to find the picture of Roger at a specific marker on social media. Roger was walking his own Camino.
As I said, James was my favorite person the guys met. Not just for the red wine but because he sees what a good dad McCarthy is and tries to offer compliments, and it was hard to hear this was my sense. James is a great influence on Sam, well, except for the smoking. Sam was to be quitting, but James taught Sam the art of rolling cigarettes.
There are others throughout the book, and the phrase “Walk your own Camino” has an insightful and profound mantra we can all use after reading the book. My thought of the words was to do your own thing. Be true to yourself was my interpretation.
You might even say that the trail can be designated as a character.
I usually have to have a physical book in my hands. However, for this book review, I wanted to listen and hear from, in this case, a father and son duet. You might also prefer the audio because of the possibility of wanting to walk as part of the experience. I’ve enjoyed the ear candy going for a jog.
The audiobook clocks in at six hours and forty-four minutes. I have listened to this book at least four times. I have a lot of time sitting in planes these days. I would also say what a great book to listen to for a road trip.
I would even say, at times, this book has been therapeutic for me. In some parts of the book, I could picture my dad and I or my son and myself in certain situations. Admittedly, I have found myself driving, and a story triggers me, and I am crying.
We get to hear how Sam and “The Boys” continue past where McCarthy had set his end goal for the trip. Hearing how Sam finished his adventure three days after his dad was one of those triggers. McCarthy talks about near the end of their journey and how, at one moment, he broke down crying. When listening to him tell that particular story, my heart goes out to him. It was emotional from a dad’s point of view. He and Sam had no script, no agenda. It was just spending time together and discovering who each other was.
If you read or listen to the book, you might be inspired to find your version of Camino de Santiago. I am not saying a 500-mile walk, but maybe something motivated you because of the book. I am training for a half marathon at the time of this writing. However, I would love to do the walk with my son. If you will excuse me, I need to call him and ask if he wants to go for a walk.
