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Wondering, the Way is Made: A South American Odyssey
Luke F. D. Marsden's road novel, Wondering, the Way is Made, is a captivating literary journey through South America for wanderers and wonderers.
A formative experience in Africa opens the eyes of Joss Douglas to the flaws in his meticulously scheduled way of life. Some years later, in a world in which civilization is faltering, with a climate that grows harsher and wilder with each passing season, he no longer sees the sense in his ordered existence, and feels that he is working towards nothing. With his fiancée Tina, who has distant roots in Brazil, he steps out of his conventional programme and they set off on a voyage of discovery to South America.
While they are away, rioting and crackdowns at home in England cut them adrift from their country. Fate brings them together with their friends from around the globe and these carefree and irrepressible misfits, a generation in microcosm, acquire a camper van and journey among the myriad landscapes and cultures of the South American continent in search of a place where they can ride out epic world events, while absorbing the wonders along the way.
A formative experience in Africa opens the eyes of Joss Douglas to the flaws in his meticulously scheduled way of life. Some years later, in a world in which civilization is faltering, with a climate that grows harsher and wilder with each passing season, he no longer sees the sense in his ordered existence, and feels that he is working towards nothing. With his fiancée Tina, who has distant roots in Brazil, he steps out of his conventional programme and they set off on a voyage of discovery to South America.
While they are away, rioting and crackdowns at home in England cut them adrift from their country. Fate brings them together with their friends from around the globe and these carefree and irrepressible misfits, a generation in microcosm, acquire a camper van and journey among the myriad landscapes and cultures of the South American continent in search of a place where they can ride out epic world events, while absorbing the wonders along the way.
235 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 9, 2014
4 people are currently reading
793 people want to read
About the author
Luke F.D. Marsden
4 books33 followersLuke F. D. Marsden lives in the South West of England. His books and short stories combine metaphysical and visionary fiction with realism and detailed observation. He has travelled extensively in six continents and brings the cumulative experiences of these journeys to his writing. He is a graduate of Oxford University in Molecular Biology and holds a Master's degree in Computer Science. These fields of study have taught him how little we know about the world and our own minds.
"I think that the ability of literature, at its best, to unlock and engage the power of the imagination makes it the most powerful art form. Two and a half thousand years of philosophy, medicine, biology and psychology since Aristotle have yet to produce even a basic explanation of the mechanism of consciousness, or of our imagination. We have barely touched the surface when it comes to understanding the worlds inside our heads ... there is so much still to explore. By writing, I strive to venture into these uncharted territories and to create works that reveal something of what lies there."
"I think that the ability of literature, at its best, to unlock and engage the power of the imagination makes it the most powerful art form. Two and a half thousand years of philosophy, medicine, biology and psychology since Aristotle have yet to produce even a basic explanation of the mechanism of consciousness, or of our imagination. We have barely touched the surface when it comes to understanding the worlds inside our heads ... there is so much still to explore. By writing, I strive to venture into these uncharted territories and to create works that reveal something of what lies there."
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
February 16, 2015
John Lennon famously said, “Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.” Too true, and as we all know (and more so the older we get), plans never run according to plan anyway. The Way, on the other hand, involves those moments of present; where plans present themselves in visions, gut feelings, obstacles and necessities.
In this story, the Way has different ways of bringing about travelling friends to converge in South America, as they try to decide how to escape the imminent fall of the world. Marsden writes in a clean, crisp and simple but sophisticated fashion, which suits Joss the narrator's cool headed, zen-ish, new-everyman persona perfectly. Occasionally it reminded me of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenace, at other times it was like Generation X, but that doesn't take anything away from it in the slightest.
The philosophical, humorous, fighting-The-Man, being-a-twenty- first-century-human-being dialogue and scenarios of the characters presides over the backdrops of places like Argentina, Bolivia and Peru, but then welcome descriptions of places like La Paz suddenly arrive, bursting from the page with fresh colours and sounds.
This is one of those books that you can enjoy at face value or you can start thinking about all sorts of things. Ultimately, this is the tale of trying to escape the system, or 'the programme' as it's referred to here. The background world around Joss and his friends is falling apart, as resources have practically dried up, floods and tsunamis are raging, there are riots all over the western world, on the brink of WWIII, and yet still people are plugged into the daily grind, sometimes blind to the changes occurring. Where can this group of travellers go to escape the collapse of the world?
If this book had've been written in the sixties, it could have perhaps been seen as 'hippy' literature, but it's not. What it is is a good example of how those 'leaving the system and getting back to nature and living in present cycles' ideals are still very much alive in the world, and actually even more so now. Marsden's book isn't set in any dystopian future world. It's set in just around the corner. I highly recommend you read this book before the future catches up with us.
Harry Whitewolf (author of Route Number 11 and The Road To Purification).
In this story, the Way has different ways of bringing about travelling friends to converge in South America, as they try to decide how to escape the imminent fall of the world. Marsden writes in a clean, crisp and simple but sophisticated fashion, which suits Joss the narrator's cool headed, zen-ish, new-everyman persona perfectly. Occasionally it reminded me of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenace, at other times it was like Generation X, but that doesn't take anything away from it in the slightest.
The philosophical, humorous, fighting-The-Man, being-a-twenty- first-century-human-being dialogue and scenarios of the characters presides over the backdrops of places like Argentina, Bolivia and Peru, but then welcome descriptions of places like La Paz suddenly arrive, bursting from the page with fresh colours and sounds.
This is one of those books that you can enjoy at face value or you can start thinking about all sorts of things. Ultimately, this is the tale of trying to escape the system, or 'the programme' as it's referred to here. The background world around Joss and his friends is falling apart, as resources have practically dried up, floods and tsunamis are raging, there are riots all over the western world, on the brink of WWIII, and yet still people are plugged into the daily grind, sometimes blind to the changes occurring. Where can this group of travellers go to escape the collapse of the world?
If this book had've been written in the sixties, it could have perhaps been seen as 'hippy' literature, but it's not. What it is is a good example of how those 'leaving the system and getting back to nature and living in present cycles' ideals are still very much alive in the world, and actually even more so now. Marsden's book isn't set in any dystopian future world. It's set in just around the corner. I highly recommend you read this book before the future catches up with us.
Harry Whitewolf (author of Route Number 11 and The Road To Purification).
August 10, 2015
Being cut off, severed from something, is a difficult starting point. Throughout this novel the looming presence of a world behind and away, a world that has shaped the characters we will follow, is felt as a real entity. It stalks them as they pass over and through unfamiliar lands, searching for respite from the world at their backs. The friendship that binds them causes them to draw together and endeavour to reach a place where this world of political upheaval, civil unrest and authoritarianism won’t catch up with them, or they can at least hope to keep at bay for a while.
Set in a future so near it is one slow motion step away into the morning of that day, the novel takes us to the conclusion that may be inevitable, may be self-fulfilling or may be in the realm of delaying. As the planet rushes forward into the unsustainable plundering for resources the market and the man has devised, and token gestures are meted out by government in a blindingly apparent lack of will for change in this area, increasingly banal platitudes prop up the machine as it grinds away at another way, a way that needs to be found if the kind of strife this book recounts is to be reduced.
This is a journeying book, recounting South America’s landscapes, peoples and practices. This is where the narrative takes flight and I was hungry for more of it. Indeed, there were two aspects of this novel where my attention zoomed, the second being the reflections on the scientific and philosophical implications of the themes and dilemmas that were thrown up. To me these were the heart of the book, which I had delicious glimpses of and they were snatched away too soon to return to the central narrative which, though engaging enough, didn’t hold my attention with as much satisfaction. A strange type of self editing became apparent in the interactions between the friends, one that perhaps reflects certain friendships and the difficulties in juggling so many personalities, and though there were attempts to break though this into the soul of the characters I experienced repeated retreat from this which was at times frustrating. I wanted to know them better and felt the natural boundaries that friendships demand perhaps seeped over into the representation of the inner voice. For whatever reason I was left craving a more direct connection, instinctively appraising that this writer of clarity and simplicity of expression has so much more to say.
My main takeaway from this book is that I want to read more by this author. I am left curious and I’m still reflecting on it so I feel compelled to give it the solid 3.5 rating, so I will.
Set in a future so near it is one slow motion step away into the morning of that day, the novel takes us to the conclusion that may be inevitable, may be self-fulfilling or may be in the realm of delaying. As the planet rushes forward into the unsustainable plundering for resources the market and the man has devised, and token gestures are meted out by government in a blindingly apparent lack of will for change in this area, increasingly banal platitudes prop up the machine as it grinds away at another way, a way that needs to be found if the kind of strife this book recounts is to be reduced.
This is a journeying book, recounting South America’s landscapes, peoples and practices. This is where the narrative takes flight and I was hungry for more of it. Indeed, there were two aspects of this novel where my attention zoomed, the second being the reflections on the scientific and philosophical implications of the themes and dilemmas that were thrown up. To me these were the heart of the book, which I had delicious glimpses of and they were snatched away too soon to return to the central narrative which, though engaging enough, didn’t hold my attention with as much satisfaction. A strange type of self editing became apparent in the interactions between the friends, one that perhaps reflects certain friendships and the difficulties in juggling so many personalities, and though there were attempts to break though this into the soul of the characters I experienced repeated retreat from this which was at times frustrating. I wanted to know them better and felt the natural boundaries that friendships demand perhaps seeped over into the representation of the inner voice. For whatever reason I was left craving a more direct connection, instinctively appraising that this writer of clarity and simplicity of expression has so much more to say.
My main takeaway from this book is that I want to read more by this author. I am left curious and I’m still reflecting on it so I feel compelled to give it the solid 3.5 rating, so I will.
June 7, 2015
I very much looked forward to starting Wondering because it seems that me and Mr Marsden, in isolation, began writing in the hopefully burgeoning South American eco-apocalyptic subgenre D:… ;) I was not disappointed by this one, my friend!!
Wondering is a fascinating blend of travel memoir, fiction and environmental fact. With simple elegant prose featuring simple elegant conversations, Marsden conjures up a South America of the near-future, the climactic decline of which acts initially as a moody backdrop for what would otherwise be a joyfully vicarious road trip for the reader, but as free as the characters might see themselves, it seems they cannot escape the earth’s apparently inevitable doom, and we watch them consider their survival tactics, catastrophe becomes more foreboding, and even beautiful sunny days and vivid descriptions can’t quell the growing melancholy atmosphere.
The narrative has a wanderlust too, with thematic digressions on fate and climate change, for example, which give layers of colour to the plot, although if I had a critique it would be that these sometimes can be distracting- but I’ll say what I’ve said so many times about pretty much all first novels: they are a test of a writer’s promise, and for wanderlusters and wonderlusters alike, Marsden is an author to watch, and I will be reading his upcoming- no spoilers! But be on the lookout for more Marsden!!
Wondering is a fascinating blend of travel memoir, fiction and environmental fact. With simple elegant prose featuring simple elegant conversations, Marsden conjures up a South America of the near-future, the climactic decline of which acts initially as a moody backdrop for what would otherwise be a joyfully vicarious road trip for the reader, but as free as the characters might see themselves, it seems they cannot escape the earth’s apparently inevitable doom, and we watch them consider their survival tactics, catastrophe becomes more foreboding, and even beautiful sunny days and vivid descriptions can’t quell the growing melancholy atmosphere.
The narrative has a wanderlust too, with thematic digressions on fate and climate change, for example, which give layers of colour to the plot, although if I had a critique it would be that these sometimes can be distracting- but I’ll say what I’ve said so many times about pretty much all first novels: they are a test of a writer’s promise, and for wanderlusters and wonderlusters alike, Marsden is an author to watch, and I will be reading his upcoming- no spoilers! But be on the lookout for more Marsden!!
August 19, 2015
I recived this in a Goodreads first-reads giveaway! Along it I recived the most beautiful handwritten letter, which was deeply appreciated. Thank you!
Beautifully written story taken place in a world suffering the consequences of global warming. This is about a journey through South America and friendship. You can easyly tell that mr Marsden is a well-traveled and well-educated man, who draws much of his inspiration from his own experiences.
The novel contains a lot of dialogues and maybe I'd liked some more info of the surroundings.
It certainly made me long for some travelling of my own. :)
Beautifully written story taken place in a world suffering the consequences of global warming. This is about a journey through South America and friendship. You can easyly tell that mr Marsden is a well-traveled and well-educated man, who draws much of his inspiration from his own experiences.
The novel contains a lot of dialogues and maybe I'd liked some more info of the surroundings.
It certainly made me long for some travelling of my own. :)
December 14, 2015
a goodreads give-away!
i was expecting a travelog - a whippersnapper’s trip around South America. Not so much.
In a world just a wee bit farther along the planet-destructive path we are barreling down...a group of very young friends decide to leave their various first world places of origin; homes that are no longer home. As global warming takes Miami and other low lying cities and countries, with resultant chaos, martial law and mandatory conscription - to protect lands where there is no privacy, no freedom, no innocence - our troopers see very little reason to look back.
i understand.
Thinking about the inevitability of real world (not fictional) changes on our near horizon, billions of individual stories will spin - and this one is interesting to grok. Argentina threatened by Chile - for their water, and fertile land? Seems as plausible as not. No way to predict the deets but it ain’t gon be pretty.
As someone who has never felt particularly connected to any country, who has always thought the arbitrary lines drawn by those in power at the time, that define “nations”, are insanely random - i think the actions of these not-quite-grown-ups are reasonable. Nihilistic? Isn’t our collective unwillingness to take the dramatic steps necessary to stop the climate catastrophe nihilistic? These travelers are no more / no less nihilistic than the “decision makers”.
I found this to be a very thought provoking book. What will you do? Where will you go? Is it better to choose an escape home, to repatriate to a New Place that might be safer? or to just keep going, remain on the go? or maybe just stay & see how high you can build your wall?
i was expecting a travelog - a whippersnapper’s trip around South America. Not so much.
In a world just a wee bit farther along the planet-destructive path we are barreling down...a group of very young friends decide to leave their various first world places of origin; homes that are no longer home. As global warming takes Miami and other low lying cities and countries, with resultant chaos, martial law and mandatory conscription - to protect lands where there is no privacy, no freedom, no innocence - our troopers see very little reason to look back.
i understand.
Thinking about the inevitability of real world (not fictional) changes on our near horizon, billions of individual stories will spin - and this one is interesting to grok. Argentina threatened by Chile - for their water, and fertile land? Seems as plausible as not. No way to predict the deets but it ain’t gon be pretty.
As someone who has never felt particularly connected to any country, who has always thought the arbitrary lines drawn by those in power at the time, that define “nations”, are insanely random - i think the actions of these not-quite-grown-ups are reasonable. Nihilistic? Isn’t our collective unwillingness to take the dramatic steps necessary to stop the climate catastrophe nihilistic? These travelers are no more / no less nihilistic than the “decision makers”.
I found this to be a very thought provoking book. What will you do? Where will you go? Is it better to choose an escape home, to repatriate to a New Place that might be safer? or to just keep going, remain on the go? or maybe just stay & see how high you can build your wall?
January 11, 2016
I won this as a First Reads Give-away.
This story takes place in the near future, as the world begins to disintegrate around climate catastrophe. It was interesting to think that even as the s&%t hits the fan, nations could still be thinking of themselves as separate not realizing that ALL of us are facing this potentially world-ending fate, best working together as "humans" (instead of as Argentinians or Chileans)!
This group of young folks from all over, gather together in South America and begin, whether conscious or not, to create their own world. As reality radically changes, so, it seems, do the Rules.
This was a well written and cleverly devised book. I hope Mr. Marsden writes more!!
This story takes place in the near future, as the world begins to disintegrate around climate catastrophe. It was interesting to think that even as the s&%t hits the fan, nations could still be thinking of themselves as separate not realizing that ALL of us are facing this potentially world-ending fate, best working together as "humans" (instead of as Argentinians or Chileans)!
This group of young folks from all over, gather together in South America and begin, whether conscious or not, to create their own world. As reality radically changes, so, it seems, do the Rules.
This was a well written and cleverly devised book. I hope Mr. Marsden writes more!!
March 11, 2015
This is a beautifully written book, with excellent descriptions, and well-rounded characters. The plot moves at a nice pace, and will give you plenty to think about while reading it, as well as after you're finnished.
December 20, 2017
One word that can describe this novel - Descriptive
Wondering, the Way is Made is a book that takes the reader on a journey. The description of the journey is praise-worthy.
Wondering, the Way is Made is a book that takes the reader on a journey. The description of the journey is praise-worthy.
September 27, 2015
I found this to be a thoroughly enjoyable read. 'The end of days' and 'social decay' have become Hollywood tropes of late, and the usual treatment seems to revolve around simple survival while the characters resort to increasingly primitive tactics. With this book, the author seems to be attempting to deal with the preservation of the soul above and beyond that of the body during times of global decline.
Set in several South American countries, the story reads somewhat like an updated version of The Motorcycle Diaries. The characters find themselves having to deal with the practicalities of everyday survival in a time when resources are becoming more and more scarce. Resolved to leave "the program" -- the humdrum life of corporate servitude and consumption -- they make the conscious decision to leave established society and incorporate their own set of values in a society of friends that they decide to make for themselves.
Set in several South American countries, the story reads somewhat like an updated version of The Motorcycle Diaries. The characters find themselves having to deal with the practicalities of everyday survival in a time when resources are becoming more and more scarce. Resolved to leave "the program" -- the humdrum life of corporate servitude and consumption -- they make the conscious decision to leave established society and incorporate their own set of values in a society of friends that they decide to make for themselves.
December 28, 2015
I received this book for free via Goodreads First Reads.
It is one of those books I had limited expectations of. Travel books is not a genre I have loved in the past. I found this one to be a little different.
The main characters are all interesting (a follow-up book could tell how they all met in detail). The odyssey they undertook was interesting and there is a lot of humour from highbrow to lowbrow in the book.
I disliked the fact that every problem was bought out of yet understand why that happened. I would recommend the book to those that want a different kind of travel story. Maybe hating llamas would help too.
It is one of those books I had limited expectations of. Travel books is not a genre I have loved in the past. I found this one to be a little different.
The main characters are all interesting (a follow-up book could tell how they all met in detail). The odyssey they undertook was interesting and there is a lot of humour from highbrow to lowbrow in the book.
I disliked the fact that every problem was bought out of yet understand why that happened. I would recommend the book to those that want a different kind of travel story. Maybe hating llamas would help too.
June 20, 2015
This was a very well written book, I read it from cover to cover in one sitting.
January 5, 2016
Truly enjoyed this novel. The adventure was interesting; the characters were fun.
September 15, 2015
Note: I received this book through a Goodreads giveaway.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews