I Loved Him From the Day He Died

‘Harding’s prose style is fluid and fluent … unflinching, merciless honesty’ Sunday Independent

To mark his 70th birthday Michael Harding travelled to Spain to walk part of the Camino de Santiago. Yet, as he set off on his pilgrimage, he found he wasn’t alone. Accompanying him was the ghost of his long-dead father, a distant and aloof figure whom he lost when he was only twenty-two years old.

Here, with searing honesty and beautifully wrought prose, Harding examines how this man, who had died almost half a century ago, could have had such a profound effect on the writer’s life.

From the Ireland of his youth, to the time of his father’s death, and to the holy wells and pubs he frequented in search of a connection with a man he never really knew, I Loved Him From The Day He Died is a heartfelt examination of love, forgiveness and letting go – told with simple vulnerability and profound insight.

PRAISE FOR MICHAEL HARDING’S BOOKS

‘Hilarious and tender … beautifully written’ Kevin Barry

‘A beautiful book of great tenderness, love of life, and wisdom’ Joseph O’Connor

‘Compelling’ Sunday Times