Book Review: There’s a Hole in my Bucket by Royd Tolkien – By George Somasundaram
Source : Qld Sri Lankan Newsletter – Dæhæna – August 2023
Royd Tolkien is the great grandson of JRR Tolkien, the famed author of the Lord of the Rings series. He grew up in Wales with his parents, an elder sister and a younger brother. The siblings’ lives were influenced by adventures and outdoor activities. Royd’s brother Mike was an adrenalin loving individual, somewhat the opposite of Royd. At 35, Mike was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND). The brothers decided to use the sparse time Mike had left by venturing out and spending quality time together. As Mike’s life deteriorated rapidly, Royd nursed him through the final years of his life. Upon Mike’s demise at age 39, Royd discovered a Bucket List of 50 tasks that Mike had secretly prepared for Royd to complete after his death. This Book is about ticking off those items on that List, mostly in New Zealand – a country that Mike loved and also a land made famous by the Hobbit movies. The Book also supplements by interspersing with stories of the exploits Royd and Mike shared together and many a tale of their competitive nature to outdo each other.
The Bucket List was a full gamut of emotions from terror to reflection and from sadness to joy. Mike’s idea was to draw Royd out of his comfort zone to perform tasks from daredevil to random acts of kindness. The themes were meant to challenge Royd – some were emotive throwbacks to times spent with Mike while some were meant to tease him and make him look like a mug. Royd having seen the suffering that Mike had undergone was determined to make it happen, not fail him.
His first task was to fake a stumble on his way to the lectern to deliver the eulogy at Mike’s funeral. While the mourners gasped, Royd cheekily informed the audience that it was what Mike had wanted him to do. Another task was related to an encounter with a tarantula Mike had the last laugh knowing that Royd’s weakness was arachnophobia, an overwhelming fear of spiders.
The Bucket List was made into a documentary thanks to a cameraman filming the episodes while accompanying Royd on this expedition. Of course, the famous surname got Royd into places for the challenges, not available to commoners. He also had the luxury of having access to famous people e.g. film director Peter Jackson.
Another important goal was to make people aware of MND and the short life sentence it bestows upon sufferers. Royd proudly adopted the role of an ambassador for MND.
This is a story about two brothers and the love and respect they had for each other. Frequently challenging, often humorous and sometimes heart breaking, the tasks chart the brothers’ lives from childhood to adulthood. It is an inspirational life affirming memoir to honour the memory of a dear brother who was sadly lost to a terrible disease.
“His grief he will not forget: but it will not darken his heart, it will teach him wisdom” JRR Tolkien.
George Somasundaram
George resides in Brisbane and is currently retired
