Steve's Reviews > The Truth

Expecting a clever comedy from renowned ex-Python Michael Palin, what I got instead was a thought-provoking treatise on progress, family, and passion, all encompassed in the adventures of an everyman called Keith Mabbut. It might be easy enough to sum him up simply as a middle-aged man, what with the implied unfulfilled goals, sense of life passing by with a whimper instead of a shout, frayed relationships between ex-wives and adult children, compromises made, integrity cheated, and fleeting sense of purpose so prevalent in our younger selves. Indeed, he is such a character. Yet, this is right in my sweet spot. I buy in to a guy like Mabbut because there's plenty enough of him in me to make we empathize with him and, more importantly, cheer him on.

It's clear from the writing that Palin's been a keen observer in his world travels, and that knowledge is put to good use in descriptive passages of the sights, smells, tastes, and sounds of the UK, India, and the Czech Republic. While his penchant for expose at times gets the best of him, particularly in the first of the three parts, he eventually finds a rhythm that allowed me to be transported, but not put to sleep. This is a powerful story told with a deft touch for wit, pathos, and, surprisingly, adventure.

The Truth left me feeling inspired, surprised, and even a bit melancholic for some reason. In dealing with the balance required between hope and naïveté or between conviction and pragmatism, Palin covers some heady material. That he serves it up in a smart if lightweight and wry fashion isn't a huge fault. It's a book that was a breeze to read, but which still left me with things to ponder. That's good enough for me to give it a firm recommendation.