Fumbling
A Pilgrimage Tale of Love, Grief,
and Spiritual Renewal on the Camino de Santiago
Kerry Egan
232 pages
Doubleday, 2004
Synopsis
As
a young pilgrim journeying over 450 miles south and west from the
French Pyrenees mountains to Spain's cathedral of Santiago de Compostela,
Kerry Egan discovered the depth of grieving and the beauty of God's
presence in everyday life. In Fumbling, she chronicles
her internal struggle with her faith during the difficult voyage,
telling a moving tale of dealing with the grief of her father's
death and of rekindled love and spirituality.
Commendations
"Kerry
Egan's Fumbling tugs the reader into the rich mystery of
pilgrimage--in her able hands, not only a physical trek to a spiritual
hot spot but also a moving exploration of love, grief, and wonder.
This lovely book called me back every time I strayed away from it,
and it will probably haunt me for years."
Kristin
Ohlson, author of Stalking
the Divine
"The
book is more than mere travelogue ... When Egan embraces the essay
form, particularly when she shares her moments of confusion and
weakness on the journey, her writing is confident, sharp and engaging
... A satisfying account of the physical, emotional and spiritual
aspects of religious pilgrimage."
Publishers
Weekly
About
the Author
Kerry Egan earned
a master's of divinity degree from Harvard University Divinity School.
While attending Harvard, she worked as an ombudsman (an investigator
and arbiter of complaints) for a nursing home, and as a chaplain
intern at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. Egan also served as
a research assistant at the Harvard Center for the Study of World
Religions. She currently resides in Iowa City, Iowa with her husband
and travel partner, Alex Ruskell.
Links
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National
Catholic Reporter Review
Discussion
Guide for Fumbling
1. What episode in the book did you connect with the most? Why do
you think that is?
2. On page 93, Egan writes, “Anger at God is protest against
suffering.” Do you agree? Why or why not? Have you ever been
angry at God? How do you handle anger? Is it easy for you to feel
anger, or is anger a difficult emotion for you to accept and express?
Why do you think many people have a difficult time feeling anger?
How might a person’s religious beliefs affect how they think
about being angry?
3. Do you think a person needs to travel to a famous sacred place
or a long distance to go on pilgrimage? Why or why not?
4. On pages 17 and 18, Egan writes, “The pilgrimage experience
is one of liminality, a time in which a person is separate and apart
from everyday life and expectations, apart from the normal patterns
and strictures of society.” Have there been times in your
life when you have been in a liminal state? What were these times?
What did it feel like? What did you learn? How did this experience
change you?
5. Egan suggests that walking can be a form of prayer. Are there
activities you do that might not appear to be prayerful at first,
but in fact are forms of prayer for you?
6. On page 210, Egan writes, “If prayer is the attempt to
understand God, then grieving is the deepest form of prayer.”
Do you agree or disagree with the author on this point? Why?
7. Why do you think religious symbols or rituals can take on new
meanings for people as they go through life? How did this happen
for the author?
8. “Sacramentalism” can be described as a way of seeing
the world as a place where God is present in all things and in all
places. How does the author’s sacramental view of the world
change while on her pilgrimage? How does it change when she returns
home? Do you have a sacramental view of the world?
9. What do you think the author means when she describes her stay
in a luxury hotel as “the best I could do”? Do you agree
that this is a true assessment of the situation, or do you think
she is making excuses? Why?
10. Why do you think Alex put up with the author’s shenanigans?
What does this tell you about him?
