# Walking Across Egypt

By Clyde Edgerton

Profile: https://hahafiction.com/books/walking-across-egypt-da823dc4/

At 78, Mattie Rigsbee believes keeping a stray dog would be too much work. She calls the dogcatcher, whose teenage nephew Wesley is in trouble for stealing a car. Before long, Mattie’s attempts to help the boy make the dog look like the simpler responsibility.

## What makes it funny?

Mattie has a firm account of what she is too old and too busy to do. Her homemade food and determination to look after Wesley keep drawing her into precisely those obligations.

### The comedy at work

Mattie puts her Christian principles into practice with a practical determination that alarms her neighbors and grown children. Their doubts about her judgment help turn acts of charity into a comedy of errors.

### Try this if…

The appeal lies in a gently comic Southern community and an older woman who takes her principles seriously enough to inconvenience everyone around her.

### Good to know

Widowhood, juvenile detention and car theft figure in the story. Christian faith guides Mattie’s choices, and the title comes from her favorite hymn.

## What to expect

- Genre: Contemporary & literary
- Kind of humor: Situational comedy
- The atmosphere: Warmhearted
- Format: Novel

## A few distinguishing details

- An older woman takes responsibility for a teenage delinquent
- A stray dog sets off a much larger household disruption

## Sources & further reading

- Review: [Kirkus review](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/a/clyde-edgerton-3/walking-across-egypt)
- Library catalog: [Library edition](https://ohdbks.overdrive.com/ohdbks-clermont/content/media/1128991)