Bookonnection #4: Brief Encounters

Most of us can readily identify the people who have had a significant impact - for better or for worse - on our lives. When I've asked others about this, I'm unsurprised when folks first cite their parents or longtime romantic partners. After that, in my experience, it's harder to predict who might come next to mind when someone is asked about this aspect of their lives.   

Aside from being worth your precious reading time, Now Is Not the Time to Panic (Kevin Wilson, 2022) and The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry (Rachel Joyce, 2012) have little else in common. The former is a coming-of age story about two teenage misfits who upset the lazy summer equilibrium in their small Tennessee town. The titular character in the latter is a recently retired Englishman who impulsively decides to visit a friend he hasn't seen or spoken to in twenty years.  

But imbedded in each of these well-crafted and moving novels is a perfectly realized vignette about people who briefly enter the lives of the main characters, leaving a profound imprint. Fifteen-year-old Frankie Budge and sixty-five-year-old Harold Fry are each powerfully shaped by these encounters. Has this ever happened to you? More than once? How old were you at the time? Have you ever told your story to anyone? If you did, how successfully were you able to put into words the impact your brief encounter had on you? I love stories like this; I'd welcome hearing yours. And I think others would enjoy it as well.    

If you don't think you have a story like this, let me recommend you pick up either of these worthwhile books. I'm guessing that one or both of these talented authors will remind you of a story of yours similar to either Frankie's (with Dr. Blush) or Harold's (with Martina). Then, after you relive your story via Frankie or Harold, please try to remember to return and tell me about it.