At first glance, two things stand out about this book. First, the featured two brothers are great-grandsons of the famous JRR Tolkien, who wrote The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Although this fact will attract much attention, it is fairly tangential to the unfolding of this tale. The author Royd’s journey takes him on the movie set of The Lord of the Rings, and some characters play small roles in this tale. The book is set mainly in New Zealand, home of the movies’ filming. However, most of the book focuses on the love of two brothers. For the themes congruence, it does not matter whether they were Tolkiens or Smiths.
Second, for a thematic premise, one brother Mike dies of ALS (or in the British medical system, called Motor Neuron Disease, or MND). This is a progressive and fatal medical condition commonly known in the United States as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, after the 1920s Yankees baseball great. Mike leaves behind a “bucket list” of fifty items for his brother Royd to complete, almost all in New Zealand. Royd, a movie producer by trade, raised money to produce a documentary that tells the story of how he completed the list. He also writes this narrative with short, easy-to-read chapters.
The bucket list consists of items like driving a race car, bungee jumping, singing a song in front of a large audience, and asking strangers to dance with him. Each story has an interesting twist to it, and Royd conveys this well. Clearly, he holds his brother Mike in high regard and in deep love. The resulting creative venture of this book illustrates just how dynamic that relationship was.
It’s hard to criticize a work based on such a pure love and whose theme is living life to the fullest regardless of limitations. However, this story is probably better suited for the documentary than a book. Royd does not possess the story-telling strengths of his great-grandfather. (I did find a few British words sprinkled throughout the book and enjoyed the challenge of looking them up. The elder Tolkien would likely be proud!) The stories are not terrible; rather, they seem more adapted to a screen. This book appears to be a secondary thought rather than a primary vision of the project. After finishing this book, I would like to see the documentary. Again, Royd produces movies for a living, and the documentary seems much more natural of an endeavor for him.
The audience for this book is targeted yet still broad. Themes of brotherly love and a romantic ideal of manhood permeate every page. Adventure-seeking males will like this book. Those who travel to New Zealand might also find much to explore here, both in life and in the country. The nation comes out quite well in this book with adventures overflowing from each chapter. Medically inclined readers will also benefit from reading an up-close account of the debilitation of ALS. This condition deserves continued focus due to the lack of effective treatments. Even readers interested in the human psyche will find deeper understanding in Royd’s complicated grief and how practices can facilitate healing. Overall, Royd’s take – and Mike’s take – on life is something most humans can learn from. I’m glad these loving brothers shared it with us readers.
There’s a Hole in my Bucket: A Journey of Two Brothers
By Royd Tolkien
Copyright (c) 2021
Little A
ISBN13 9781542027571
Page Count: 351
Genre: Memoir
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