The Red-Headed Pilgrim

The Red-Headed Pilgrim by Kevin Maloney is a humorous novel of literary autofiction. The book description from the publisher describes it best: “On a sunny day in a business park near Portland, Oregon, 42-year-old web developer Kevin Maloney is in the throes of an existential crisis that finds him shoeless in a field of Queen Anne's lace, reflecting on the tumultuous events that brought him to this moment. Thus begins a journey of hard-earned insights and sexual awakening that takes Kevin from angst-ridden Beaverton to the beaches of San Diego, a frontier-themed roadside attraction in Helena, Montana, and a hermetic shack on an organic lettuce farm. Everything changes when Kevin falls in love with Wendy. After a chance tarot reading lands them on the frigid coast of Maine, their lives are unsettled by the birth of their daughter, Zoë, whose sudden presence is oftentimes terrifying, frequently disturbing, and yet–miraculously–always wondrous. The Red-Headed Pilgrim is an irresistible novel of misadventure and new beginnings, of wanderlust and bad decisions, of parenthood and divorce, and of the heartfelt truths we unearth when we least expect it.”

Main character “Kevin Maloney” is a fictionalized version of author Kevin Maloney and the book opens with him wondering how he fossilized into the day-job that was only supposed to last for a short time, but stretched into twelve years. What he really wanted to do was see the world or join a monastery or live in the woods shunning modern society and bellowing a “barbaric yawp.” Kevin wonders what happened? He recounts his younger years through his twenties with the verve and idiocy of Bukowski's Hank Chinaski ala Walt Whitman ala Allen Ginsberg ala Burrough's William Lee. He quotes Jung and listens to the Red Hot Chili Peppers and asks young women if he can stick his penis in their vaginas (literally). His adventures lead him to a weird, codependent relationship with Wendy which spawns a child named Zoë.

Eventually, Kevin's relationship with Wendy curdles and Zoë becomes way more perceptive than Kevin or even Wendy can handle. It's a pretty wild ride for Kevin and Wendy as they travel back and forth from Portland, Oregon to Portland, Maine and back, their restlessness exasperated by the demands of parenting and the need for money and benefits and stability that only a boring work-life can give.

The main focus, of course, is “Kevin.” He's the narrator and the center of the story. Often hilariously oblivious, his single-mindedness toward getting laid or finding adventure is endearing for a good while, although his behavior and limited sensibility becomes tiresome and repetitive. Why does he keep making these idiotic decisions? It becomes hard to take after a while. Fortunately, author Kevin Maloney injects pathos and honest reflection by the end, which provides the reader an opportunity to inspect their own life as a teenager and young adult, all the stupid decision that they most likely made and the consequences of those stupid decisions. After reading the epilogue, I was able to relate to “Kevin” a bit and see my own idiotic younger self. That guy—my younger self—made a ton of boneheaded decisions, many of them regretful. One of the things “Kevin” feels nostalgic for is a young person's ability to just go with it, to just roll with the punches, say yes to any adventure, to just do something—anything. And that's a wonderful ability to have at any age. As Kevin declares by the end, just say “yes, yes, yes” to adventure.

I enjoyed this novel and I recommend it. I would give this book four and a half stars.