Every Stranger a God

Set in northern England’s Lake District, Dales, and Yorkshire moors, Every Stranger a God is a travel book with a literary twist. A middle-aged English teacher hikes the 192-mile-long Coast to Coast trail, peopling it with characters from books. Literary classics provide leitmotifs for each day of the adventure. When the trip begins, the narrator is as misanthropic as Gulliver. Once she lands in England, interacts with locals, and absorbs the scenery, she is feeling more sanguine, but she’s still haunted by her resemblance to both Frankenstein and his monster. The cast of characters whom she meets or imagines includes Gollum, Harry Potter, Emily Dickinson, Holden Caulfield, Jane Eyre, D.H. Lawrence, William Shakespeare, Homer, and many others. The simple routines of hiking begin to slow down the walker’s mental chatter, bringing a balm to her spirit. She continues to ponder life’s mysteries, but her characteristic black humor gradually morphs into its frothier cousins—light irony and delightful paradox. She develops a strong camaraderie with walkers along the way, reveling in their individual quirks and regional characteristics. Reflecting on how women’s needs change as they age, the narrator experiences contentment in her solo—but sociable—mode of travel.