Miles to Go
The Second Journal of the Walk Series
Picking up where his bestseller The Walk left off, Evans continues this unforgettable series about one man's unrelenting search for hope.
Alan Christoffersen, a once-successful advertising executive, wakes one morning to find himself injured, alone, and confined to a hospital bed in Spokane, Washington. Sixteen days earlier, reeling from the sudden loss of his wife, his home, and his business, Alan set off on an extraordinary cross-country journey in an effort to soothe his mind and heart. Carrying only a backpack, he planned to walk to Key West, the farthest destination on his map. But a vicious roadside stabbing has interrupted Alan’s trek and robbed him of his one source of solace: the ability to walk.
Homeless and facing months of difficult recovery, Alan has nowhere to turn—until a mysterious woman enters his life and invites him into her home. Generous and kind, Angel seems almost too good to be true, but all is not as it appears. Alan soon realizes that before he can return to his own journey, he must first help Angel with hers.
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Buy from us:
- Simon & Schuster |
- 336 pages |
- ISBN 9781439191477 |
- April 2011
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PROLOGUE
NoteThe sun will rise again. The only uncertainty is whether or not we will rise to greet it.
Alan Christoffersen’s diary
Several months after I was mugged, stabbed, and left unconscious along the shoulder of Washington’s Highway 2, a friend asked me what being stabbed felt like. I told her it hurt.
Really, how do you describe pain? Sometimes doctors ask us to rate our pain on a scale from one to ten, as if that number had some reliable meaning. In my opinion there needs to be a more objective rating system, something comparative; like, would you...
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One
We plan our lives in long, unbroken stretches that intersect our dreams the way highways connect the city dots on a road map. But in the end we learn that life is lived in the side roads, alleys, and detours.
Alan Christoffersen’s diary
My name is Alan Christoffersen and this is the second journal of my walk. I’m writing from a hospital room in Spokane, Washington. I’m not sure how you came to be holding my book—truthfully, I don’t even know if you are—but if you’re reading my story, welcome to my...
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Two
I’ve gone from a schedule of hours and minutes to not being able to tell you what day of the month it is.
Alan Christoffersen’s diary
My second night in the hospital was rough. I was wet and hot with fever and somewhere in the night I started coughing. Each expulsion felt like another blade plunging into my stomach. The nurse checked my bandages, then told me not to cough, which wasn’t at all helpful. In spite of the medications they gave me to help me sleep, for most of the night I just lay there, lonely and aching. I wanted...
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Three
Somewhere between being stabbed and waking in the hospital, I had an experience that’s difficult to describe. Call it a dream or a vision, but McKale came to me. She told me that it wasn’t my time to die—that there were still people I was meant to meet. When I asked her who, she replied, “Angel.” Who is this woman?
Alan Christoffersen’s diary
The first time I woke in the hospital, there was a strange woman sitting in a chair next to my hospital bed. She was about my age and dressed casually, wearing a fitted...
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Book Reviews
Reading Group Guide
INTRODUCTION
In the second book in Richard Paul Evans’ The Walk series, former Seattle advertising executive Alan Christoffersen hits a detour on his cross-country trek. Facing months of recovery after a vicious roadside attack in Spokane, he encounters a mysterious woman, Angel, who offers him a place to stay. But before Alan can continue on with his own journey, he must first help Angel find her way.
TOPICS & QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
- At the beginning of Miles to Go, Alan explains: “I’m not trying to set any records or wind up in any newspapers.” (p. 12) Why does he undertake such a monumental journey as walking across the country? What does he hope to accomplish? If you were in Alan’s position, would you consider doing something similar?
- Alan and Angel are practically strangers when she invites him into her home for a several-month stay as he recuperates. Why does she take him in? Why does he accept her offer? In what ways are Angel and Alan alike?
- Being stabbed robs Alan of the th
MILES TO GO, the Walk of a Lifetime
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