As part of our #penguinjourneys adventure this summer, author Graeme Simsion kindly lent us a few words on the power of travelling light, as well as a rather splendid (and exclusive) extract from his new book, THE ROSIE EFFECT (not long to wait Rosie fans, it’s out this autumn). Over to Graeme…
When Don Tillman moves to New York City in The Rosie Effect, he packs everything he needs in two carry-on bags. I did the same when my partner Anne and I lived there for six months in 2010. If you have a place to sleep, somewhere to eat and a way of getting the laundry done, you don’t need much else.
Travelling light is liberating. In Carol Shields’ The Stone Diaries, Magnus Flett abandons the possessions he has shipped from Canada to England and walks north to the Orkneys. That passage, and the feelings it evoked – envy not the least of them – stayed with me for twenty years, and found some resolution in 2011 when Anne and I walked 2000km from central France to Santiago de Compostela in Spain along pilgrim caminos. We carried just 15 kilos between us, including computer, video camera and a pair of high-heeled shoes for the evenings. Neither in New York nor on the roads and paths of Europe did we miss anything that couldn’t be ordered in a bar that evening. And we left the stilettos behind in San Sebastian.
Read an exclusive extract from Graeme Simsion’s The Rosie Effect below:
For those of you new to #penguinjourneys, we’ve been mapping literary journeys to audiobooks that fit the various journey times. This week we’re in North America, and have mapped Graeme’s first book, The Rosie Project, to our #penguinjourneys board over on Pinterest. So head over there and follow us for plenty more literary globe-trotting.
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