Countries visited: United States, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina 

The Old Patagonian Express is travelogue written by American author Paul Theroux. Published in 1979, Theroux’s second major travel book explores a different part of the world, from his home in the north east of North America to the very end of South America he essentially covers the entire length of the Americas.

As is standard with all of Theroux’s travelogues, it’s always more about the journey than the destination. The book features numerous encounters between the author and a eclectic range of colourful characters he meets along the way. These encounters are told in great detail and are written in an almost novel like fashion.

Throughout his two-month journey, the people and cultures the author encounters are described, for better or worse, in explicit detail and as always in Theroux’s signature tell-it-how-it-is writing style, modern readers beware! Theroux actually seems to enjoy himself at times during his American odyssey finding rare moments of solace throughout his epic journey.

Readers looking for a typical travel book with information on the best attractions, dining and hotel options should definitely look elsewhere. Theroux makes a point throughout the book that he is not a tourist whilst actively seeking out the lesser worn paths and avoiding vehemently what everyone else is doing.

The Old Patagonian Express isn’t better or worse than his previous book, just very different. Finding a modern travel writer that describes their experiences in such a matter-of-fact way is rare. Theroux’s vivid descriptions and accounts have transportive qualities offering readers the opportunity to travel back to a time and place(s) that have changed drastically since the book’s publication over 40 years ago.