Day 850, Quasi-Quarantine: As Depiction Of Family Gap Year, "We Came, We Saw, We Left" Manages To Be Both Endearing And Annoying

"Unlikely events are unlikely -- but they are also events, which means that they happen."

"Life is about planning for what you can predict, and being realistic about what you cannot."

Proceeding at a breakneck pace, "We Came, We Saw, We Left" documents a nine-month marathon around the country by the family of author Charles Wheelan. 

One-third travel adventure, one-third look at raising three teenagers, and one-third expose on international budgeting, the book is amusing and engrossing. However, it falls short of a possible intention to chart global changes over time and dissect environmental impacts across the world -- by mentioning these issues in passing, "We Came, We Saw, We Left" suffers a bit of an identity crisis. 

"He collapsed to the floor, where he began crying and saying repeatedly that he wanted to be a taco." 

Not to put too fine a point on it, but the book is just annoying in a way that is difficult to articulate. We came to know way too much about the family dynamic, landmark sights like the Galapagos Islands are glossed over, and there is an anxiety-inducing sense that the group is just trying to set foot on as many continents as possible (six!) in the cheapest and fastest way possible.

The accompanying blog lends visual clarity to the trek, and while the "family gap year" concept is alluring, some readers may find themselves looking for a little more to hold on to in the tale.

"One thing will never change: fortune favors those who get their passports and go."