Visitors from around the world are drawn to Spain to complete a pilgrimage across the country for hundreds of miles that ends at what is believed to be the burial site for St. James. Redfearn’s novel, inspired by her own pilgrimage, follows a fictional mother and daughter on their journeys of self-discovery on the historic trail more than 20 years apart. The heartwarming story takes a unique look at grief, love, and belonging.
Talk to us about “Call of the Camino.”
“Call of the Camino” is the journey of two women a generation apart. One woman is following in her late parents’ footsteps, sort of to rediscover them and to move on past her grief. Both her parents took the journey 27 years earlier, which actually created the romance between them. It’s told through the mother’s eyes, and so we get to see that she’s actually on the run. One of the legends of the Camino is “the Camino provides,” which means anybody who walks the Camino will be given a bed and food for their pilgrimage. It’s a beautiful tradition, and the mother flees to the Camino, hoping that the legend is true.
What brought you to the Camino de Santiago?
I was a very reluctant participant. My daughter just kept saying, “Mom, you have to do this” for years and years. We had a little health scare in our family. I realized that I kept saying, “Someday I’ll do it.” You don’t know how many somedays you actually have in this lifetime. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I know a lot of people are there because they’re at a crossroads in their life. I was not in any deep, dark place where I was trying to figure anything out. But I was really surprised—it changed me. I think I took away something very real from it. It taught me what is truly important and what is not.
How did you find inspiration for the story?
As I’m going on the Camino, I’m meeting new people every day, and everyone said, “Oh, you’re going to write a story about the Camino.” I said, “There is no story.” Then on the 23rd day, it’s as if the writing gods just said, “Here you go.” The writing gods didn’t give me a story. They just gave me a character. I met David. You’ll find out who David is, but you just don’t meet someone like this in everyday life. Then on day 30, I met this amazing pair, a father and daughter. He had hiked the pilgrimage 25 years before, and that’s where the story came from, the two generations and the walking in your parents’ footsteps. My brain catches onto something, and I feel like it’s just channeling through me to write it down as fast as possible. I had David, and I had these other two people. I usually start with some sort of concept and the characters.
What’s one piece of advice you’d give to someone considering doing the Camino de Santiago?
Go with an open heart. The more open you are to the experience and to allowing other people to infiltrate your Camino, that’s where the magic comes from. You will never again have another experience where you will meet people from all over the world who are doing a common aspiration that are all a little bit like-minded.
The post Suzanne Redfearn Discusses Call of the Camino and the Journey That Inspired It appeared first on Orange Coast.