Andalucia Life - Glitterati Book Review, August 2008

“Pilgrimage to Heresy” by Tracy Saunders.

Pilgrimage to Heresy

As you read this, thousands of people are on the move in northern Spain, mostly on foot, some on cycles and even a few on horseback – but all travelling to the same destination: Santiago de Compostella, in Galicia.

This ancient cathedral city, believed to be the burial place of Saint James, has been a focus of pilgrimages for centuries, but more recently the walking of the Camino has changed from a relatively private activity for the pious and the earnest into something that comes closer to a Glastonbury festival. With the advent of the internet the Camino has spawned not only books, but a plethora of blogs and websites. To the horror of some ”traditional” pilgrims there is now even a “Camino-lite” version where luggage is no longer borne like a cross, on the back, but transported by van.

Of the avalanche of pilgrimalia, my favourite is Tim Moore’s quirky “Spanish Steps” (he went by donkey!). This appeals because it doesn’t take itself too seriously, but does provide the thought-provoking entertainment that can work changes in people’s lives. But is it enough simply to raise questions? A familiar trick now in publishing is, in the absence of real evidence, to sprinkle a few innuendos in the hope of tempting the gullible to slap down money on the counter.

But Tracy Saunders gives us a book which many will find different: a fact-crammed volume which comes close to evoking the authentic “feel” of the pilgrimage. This self-published work is peopled with likeable characters, and has an attractively plausible sub-plot in the tale of the bishop Priscillian. Although some hurried proof-reading proves distracting, this book does succeed in raising serious concerns about the authenticity of the remains revered as those of Saint James while reminding us that the identity of the relics is secondary to the undeniably good influence of the act of pilgrimage itself.

The author boldly asserts that her book is fiction, avoiding the central weakness of “The Da Vinci Code”, where there seems a conscious attempt to convince readers that Brown’s fiction is based on real events. The book is written with passion, but without brow-beating the reader; she points out inconsistencies in the evidence for Saint James being buried at Compostella, while suggesting sound political reasons why the pretence has been allowed to persist so long.

The central character, Miranda, is a likeable heroine, and her fellow pilgrims are equally agreeable. There is no adversary – the challenge is the Camino itself, with all the doubts and despairs which are the real stumbling blocks for the pilgrims.

William Beatty