Toward Beauty: Reigniting a Creative Life on the Camino de Santiago

By Dennis Garnhum 

At the Grand Theatre in London, Canada, artistic director Dennis Garnhum is getting ready to debut a hotly anticipated production. But the morning of opening night, the world suddenly shuts down. COVID -19 has arrived, the play is lost in limbo, and the theatre’s doors close indefinitely.

Facing a crisis of confidence and a deep despair over the loss of his creative expression, Garnhum travels to northern Spain to hike the rugged Camino de Santiago del Norte, a winding path of 830 kilometres that hugs the Atlantic Ocean. As he hikes from town to town alone, Garnhum tries to reconcile his life’s contradictions—his identity as a public figure and independent artist; his simultaneous need for conversation and solitude; his Catholic upbringing alongside his life as a gay man. With each step, Garnhum realizes that the way forward is to trust in the power of the ancient path.

Part poignant memoir, part irresistibly charming travelogue, Toward Beauty follows Garnhum through the colourful moments of the trail and the unique camaraderie he finds among fellow pilgrims from around the world. Throughout, Garnhum’s story shines a light on the power of the human spirit to overcome heartbreak and fear and move toward beauty, one small step at a time.

Paperback, 309 pages
Published by Compass Press (Oct 2022)
ISBN-13: 9781778265303
Dimensions: 13.97 x 1.98 x 21.59 cm