Against the Current

Against the Current, Mike Bodnar, Matador, £9.99 ISBN: 978-1-78462-538-2

IT IS difficult to know what grabs you when you first start reading a book but you know if you are still reading after a few pages then it has a certain something, whatever that is.The chatty, over-the-handrail, style works here as we start knowing nothing about Mike and Liz but quickly find they make excellent travelling companions. Which is handy as they are sailing a boat all over France.They are a pair of Anglo-Kiwis, a former communications consultant and a former policy analyst, who have given up corporate life for a disparate adventure on the waterways. Making discoveries all the way: how the VHF works (simples), how the locks work (not how the guide book says), just how big the giant peniches are when they are right beside you… and what the crosses on the Canal du Midi trees mean. This is funny and informative, a travelogue with a surprising twist on the French language and a genuine affection for the country and the countryside.