★★★★☆ 30歳のライターがスペインのカミーノ・デ・サンティアゴ、四国のお遍路、ユダヤ教の巡礼でウクライナのウマンへと回る旅行記。旅の本当の目的は家族を捨て若い彼氏と暮らす父親との関係を修復することだと気づく。父を許せるのか。

★★★★☆ Travel journal of a 30 year old writer, while living in Berlin constantly whining he decides to go on pilgrimages. It’s a fun read about pilgrimages, he has no sense of spirituality. It’s also about him trying to connect with his father, a rabbi who now lives with his boyfriend.
Jump to English review below ↓

🔽 基本情報 🔽
A Sense of Direction: Pilgrimage for the Restless and the Hopeful
Gideon Lewis-Kraus, 2012
ギデオン ルイス＝クラウス
352 ページ
2025.11 読了

🔽🔽 読書記録 🔽🔽
最初は普通の旅行記にもとれる。
30歳のライターでベルリンに自由気ままに文句をたれながら暮らしていたけれど、あるきっかけからキリスト教の巡礼の地カミーノ・デ・サンティアゴでスペインへ、そして四国のお遍路四国八十八ヶ所霊場、最後はユダヤ教の巡礼でウクライナのウマンへと次々と巡礼の地を回る。
そしてこの旅の本当の目的は、自分の父親との関係を修復することだと気づく、といった感じ。

世界中を回って結局自分の求めていたものはいつも出発地点にあったという典型的な旅ではあるけれど、やっぱりきつくて苦しい思いをすることでそこにたどり着くのです。
ユダヤ教の指導者ラビであった父親が、ある日若い男の恋人を作って家を出た。
その父親を許せるのか、許すのか、自分は父親を愛しているのか、父親は自分を愛してくれていたのか。

そういう彼自身の葛藤を別にしても巡礼を回る旅行記としても面白い。
宗教心もスピリチュアルな思いも全くなし、でも現代人はそういう人が多い。
それでも巡礼をする意味はやっぱりある。
サンティアゴは友人と(友人や恋人と巡礼する人たちは多くが分かれるらしいけど彼はなんとか友情を保ちつつ)、四国は一人きりで、そしてウクライナは弟と父親と。

ユダヤ人らしいユーモアもちらほら見えて読み物として面白い。
ただ足の裏がぼろぼろになり寒くて辛くて心も折れるこの旅行記を読んで自分も巡礼に行こう、とは思わないかも。

🔽 買えるところ / あらすじ、詳細 🔽
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A Sense of Direction Pilgrimage for the ...
価格：1,280円 (2025/11/26時点)


  
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A Sense of Direction: Pilgrimage for the Restless and the Hopeful (English Edition)

— English —

★★★★☆ Travel journal of a 30 year old writer, while living in Berlin constantly whining he decides to go on pilgrimages. It’s a fun read about pilgrimages, he has no sense of spirituality. It’s also about him trying to connect with his father, a rabbi who now lives with his boyfriend.

🔽 log 🔽
A Sense of Direction: Pilgrimage for the Restless and the Hopeful
Gideon Lewis-Kraus, 2012
352 pages
Read in 2025.11


🔽 Book review and notes 🔽

When you start reading this book, it's about this guy, 30 year old writer, whining while living in a liberal cheap and bare concrete yet artistic Berlin and decides to go on pilgrimages, to Christian Camino de Santiago in Spain, Buddhist Shikoku 88 temples in Japan and Jewish holiday in Uman in Ukraine.
But as you read through you realise it's a book about a guy who is trying to connect with, or forgive, his father that he loves.

So yes in a way it's typical, you travel around the world to find out that what you need was always at home, but we also know that it was necessary to do all the painful journeys, hardship and solitude. 
If forgiving is somehow obnoxious, then not holding grudges, to find peace.

Apart from that, it's a good read about pilgrimages, he has no sense of spirituality let alone  religion, but that's what most of us are today, and yet there's still a meaning to go on pilgrimages. 
He did Camino with a friend and manages to stay friends, and Shikoku alone, and Ukraine with his brother and father.

His Jewish humour shines whenever he whines, about whatever.
Reading his description of destroyed feet and cold rainy miserable nights might not encourage us but it's a fun read.

🔽 Where to buy / Summary and more info 🔽

●●● Amazon.com (US) ●●●

A Sense of Direction: Pilgrimage for the Restless and the Hopeful

●●● Amazon.co.uk (UK) ●●●
A Sense of Direction: Pilgrimage for the Restless and the Hopeful

●●● Amazon.it (Italy) ●●●
A Sense of Direction: Pilgrimage for the Restless and the Hopeful [Lingua Inglese]