A great travelogue should offer three different types of
exploration: into a particular time abroad, into the author's
brain, and also, most profoundly, into our own psyche. Todd
Wassel's adventures in Japan delivers on each criteria with gusto.
A sure-footed, special book.--Gordon Peake, author of Beloved Land:
stories, struggles and secrets from Timor-Leste
Wassel brings a bold new voice to travel writing. WALKING IN
CIRCLES not only succeeds by immersing the reader in an experience
few people get to have in person, but he also shares his own
personal story that makes this a story of self-exploration that
anyone can relate to.--Alex Dolan, author of The Euthanist
One of the most interesting books on the pilgrimage.--David Billa,
Setouchi Explorer
Wassel evinces a contemporary preoccupation--without obviously
naming it--with authenticity. A pilgrimage, of course, is among the
clearest of options for reconciling personal authenticity (being
true to thine own self, let's say) and a desire to seek out
authentic experience (walking as the truest form of the pilgrimage,
engaging only in Japanese) that the average backpacker might only
dream of. In many ways, that reconciliation--ironic and surprising,
as it unfolds across the narrative--is at the heart of the book.
"Walking in Circles" is, finally, also wonderful just for its
insider-outsider insight into Japanese culture. That Wassel's
conflicted relationship to Japan echoes his own conflicted
relationship to his own culture's expectations of adulthood . . .
well, that's also part of the genius and the fun.--5 Star Amazon
Review
I think I have read pretty much all of the Shikoku Henro
travelogues, and this is among the best.--5 Star Amazon Review
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