I appointed myself head of our Lanzarote book review department some time ago, on the grounds that it wouldn’t be a very taxing role, as there just aren’t many books written about our little island!
However, my services were called upon recently when Chris Herman kindly sent me a copy of his book Sandwiches in the Sun.
I sat down to read what I thought was going to be just another ex-pat story of the trials, tribulations and of course the joys of uprooting from the UK to Lanzarote.
I was immediately caught up in the early chapters, because this book is genuinely different. Unlike so many British ex-pats, Chris and his wife Sue didn’t move here to retire, or to work in the bar or the tourist industry. They came because they were called by God!
If that sounds dramatic, I should point out that Chris came to the island to help Mark who was Pastor at the Family church on the island, and later to take that role on from him.
But don’t think the book is any kind of religious volume. It does talk about the couple’s role in the church, how Chris took the decision to study theology late in life and many of the issues with building a church community, but ultimately it takes us through the couples ups and downs on their path to settling into a totally new way of life.
Chris handles the frustrations of the bureaucracy here with patience and a classis sense of British humour, and he gives us a real insight into some of the many characters he has come across in a few short years on the island. If you’ve been here for any length of time, it’s highly likely you’ll recognise some of the people mentioned in the book.
I’ve often talked about “The wall” that all new arrivals face at some point after they have been here for some time, and Chris skilfully builds the book to that as a climax, and I’ll leave you to read it to find out what they ended up doing!
The writing is good and the book flows well – it’s perfect for sitting down with on a sunny afternoon, and you’ll enjoy the gentle roller coaster ride in his good company.
One to pick up! It’s available in Hard and paper back versions:
Click the image below to go to Amazon to order
