"There was no more talk of doves and pigeons..."

Pilgrim by Timothy Findley

HarperCollins Publishers

1999: Toronto

I have only read one other book by Timothy Findley, and that book is Famous Last Words, which I enjoyed thoroughly.  It is, like Pilgrim, a dark and fantastically mysterious journey that mingles and copulates fact with fiction.  That is not to say that Findley portrays his work as some sort of documentary - far from it.  What it does mean, however, is that the reader is left with an oftentimes plausible alternative reality that is, most times, only fit for the page or the screen (as fortunate or unfortunate as it is).

We actually know quite a great deal about the novel before we open the first page, which to me is quite unfortunate.  I like to delve and discover a novel, which is why I have conflicted opinions on putting writing on the back covers of books.  I think sometimes they tell way too much; in this case, the back cover of Pilgrim told me way too much:  "Ageless.  Sexless.  Deathless.  Timeless.  Pilgrim - the man who has lived throughout human history..."  Those are things I would have loved not to know beforehand.  I digress...

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