A DAY IN THE WOODS

A South African man embarks on a backpacking trip across Europe with a French companion, working various menial jobs, in this debut novel.

Brian is in his early 20s and has been dazzled by friends’ stories of adventures while traveling in Europe and wants to give it a try himself. After saving up for a year, he leaves his native Durban and heads to Germany. There, he gets a job schlepping customers to an overpriced clothing store on an American military base. He meets a group of guys and has some fun, but it is not long before the police falsely suspect him and a friend of drug dealing. Unfortunately, Brian’s visa expired and he forgot to renew it. Ordered to leave Germany immediately, he ends up at the home of his father’s business associate in Austria and spends time at the family’s beautiful farmhouse. Traveling again, Brian is short on cash and can only hitchhike, but at a grape-picking job in France, he meets a gorgeous young woman named Monick. There is an instant attraction, and they decide to trek across Europe together. They need to work, but the jobs are always undesirable and difficult. They pass through Portugal, the Netherlands, Italy, and Greece, very much in lust but often struggling through setbacks, grateful for the generous souls who help them along the way. Walsh’s engaging story of a dream trip to Europe is very smoothly written and full of wonder and upheaval. The locations range from the obvious to the obscure and are described with colorful details that show a great knowledge of the places and their oftentimes kindhearted inhabitants. Brian transforms into a spontaneous and industrious character, but the novel never gives up its frantic pace. The lack of an overall plot apart from the traveling makes the ending seem a bit arbitrary.

A fast-paced tale of being young in Europe that is frenetic, detailed, and enjoyable.