A Spot of Bother

Over the weekend I finished Mark Haddon's latest book A Spot of Bother, which was his follow up to the wonderful Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time.

In this book, Haddon tells the story of a British family of four, each going through altering life changes. While it took me about halfway into the book to fully understand where Haddon was headed, once you arrive it's a journey worth taking.

The 61 year-old lead character in the story is the most interesting -- observing his mental state dissolve in a variety of directions. His story in many ways is about how to maintain your sanity in your post-work life, which in the case of George Hall was an unsuccessful example.

I started this back in December on my flight to London and set it aside only coming back to it a few weeks ago. When I returned to the book in February is when the story started to take off so I'm wondering if its perhaps the dark humor of the story that didn't feel right around the holidays.

In any case, I appreciated the book more having been to London and knowing the geography of the place a little better.

Our public broadcasting friend Rick Steves talks a lot about how travel helps shape your world view -- I don't think I understood that until my trip to Europe.

Looking ahead to this year, they'll be some more miles ahead that should prove to further shape my view of our world. I'm hoping to further find my voice from these adventures.