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The Red-Headed Pilgrim
Provocative, poignant, and resoundingly hilarious, The Red-Headed Pilgrim is the tragicomic tale of an anxious red-head and his sordid pursuit of enlightenment and pleasure (not necessarily in that order).
On a sunny day in a business park near Portland, Oregon, 42-year-old web developer Kevin Maloney is in the throes of an existential crisis that finds him shoeless in a field of Queen Anne's lace, reflecting on the tumultuous events that brought him to this moment. Growing up in the suburbs, young Kevin suffered "a psychological break that ripped me from my humdrum existence" mainlining high fructose corn syrup and episodes of The Golden Girls. Thus begins a journey of hard-earned insights and sexual awakening that takes Kevin from angst-ridden Beaverton to the beaches of San Diego, a frontier-themed roadside attraction in Helena, Montana, and a hermetic shack on an organic lettuce farm.
Everything changes when Kevin falls in love with Wendy. After a chance tarot reading lands them on the frigid coast of Maine, their lives are unsettled by the birth of their daughter, Zoë, whose sudden presence is oftentimes terrifying, frequently disturbing, and yet--miraculously--always wondrous.
The Red-Headed Pilgrim is an irresistible novel of misadventure and new beginnings, of wanderlust and bad decisions, of parenthood and divorce, and of the heartfelt truths we unearth when we least expect it.
On a sunny day in a business park near Portland, Oregon, 42-year-old web developer Kevin Maloney is in the throes of an existential crisis that finds him shoeless in a field of Queen Anne's lace, reflecting on the tumultuous events that brought him to this moment. Growing up in the suburbs, young Kevin suffered "a psychological break that ripped me from my humdrum existence" mainlining high fructose corn syrup and episodes of The Golden Girls. Thus begins a journey of hard-earned insights and sexual awakening that takes Kevin from angst-ridden Beaverton to the beaches of San Diego, a frontier-themed roadside attraction in Helena, Montana, and a hermetic shack on an organic lettuce farm.
Everything changes when Kevin falls in love with Wendy. After a chance tarot reading lands them on the frigid coast of Maine, their lives are unsettled by the birth of their daughter, Zoë, whose sudden presence is oftentimes terrifying, frequently disturbing, and yet--miraculously--always wondrous.
The Red-Headed Pilgrim is an irresistible novel of misadventure and new beginnings, of wanderlust and bad decisions, of parenthood and divorce, and of the heartfelt truths we unearth when we least expect it.
242 pages, Paperback
First published January 24, 2023
21 people are currently reading
749 people want to read
About the author
Kevin Maloney
15 books98 followersKevin Maloney is the author of The Red-Headed Pilgrim (Two Dollar Radio, Jan 2023), Horse Girl Fever (CLASH Books, 2025), and Cult of Loretta (Lazy Fascist, 2015).
At times a TJ Maxx associate, grocery clerk, outdoor school instructor, organic farmer, electrician, high school English teacher, and teddy bear salesman, Kevin currently works as a web developer and writer. His stories have appeared in Hobart, Barrelhouse, Green Mountains Review, and a number of other journals and anthologies.
He lives in Portland, Oregon, five blocks from his very hot and talented fiancée Ryan-Ashley Anderson.
At times a TJ Maxx associate, grocery clerk, outdoor school instructor, organic farmer, electrician, high school English teacher, and teddy bear salesman, Kevin currently works as a web developer and writer. His stories have appeared in Hobart, Barrelhouse, Green Mountains Review, and a number of other journals and anthologies.
He lives in Portland, Oregon, five blocks from his very hot and talented fiancée Ryan-Ashley Anderson.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 97 reviews
April 21, 2023
I wrote this book and I think it’s amazing.
January 16, 2023
“I should have turned out normal, but I didn´t.”
A crazy read of an oversexed guy who thinks he is a philosopher-king on his way to enlightenment, but whose primary concern is really to lose his virginity. He uses lots of drugs and alcohol, quits college, makes one wrong life choice after another for women that don´t really care for him and keeps embarking on spontaneous trips.
I mostly had good fun, laughed out loud a couple of times, it reads really well and is less superficial than it sounds. Kevin Maloney doesn´t spare himself which reminded me a bit of Louis CK. But it is also a bit sad – I have the feeling this is partly an autobiographical work and I feel sorry for Kevin that he has had to go through a lot.
Many thanks to Netgalley for an audio-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
A crazy read of an oversexed guy who thinks he is a philosopher-king on his way to enlightenment, but whose primary concern is really to lose his virginity. He uses lots of drugs and alcohol, quits college, makes one wrong life choice after another for women that don´t really care for him and keeps embarking on spontaneous trips.
I mostly had good fun, laughed out loud a couple of times, it reads really well and is less superficial than it sounds. Kevin Maloney doesn´t spare himself which reminded me a bit of Louis CK. But it is also a bit sad – I have the feeling this is partly an autobiographical work and I feel sorry for Kevin that he has had to go through a lot.
Many thanks to Netgalley for an audio-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
November 13, 2022
A simple and charming autofiction on the nasty and complicated process of becoming an adult.
Being young and filled with dreams is a frustrating experience because you're not responsible for your existence yet and the people responsible for it want, at any cost, to downplay your expectations so you won't die of a broken heart. But the exercise is futile because young people who haven't experienced anything will not listen to depressing adults who tell them they need to forget about being a famous writer or a professional athlete and that they need to contribute to society in any way, shape of form. So, the path is filled with heartbreak and idiocy and the very purpose of existence becomes not to die inside. Before, people who did succumb did it through becoming boring and berating their kids for being fun and now, people who die inside just share memes about how they've died inside and how it makes it cool. But not Kevin Maloney. Oh no, siree.
That's more or less what The Red-Headed Pilgrim is about.
Being young and filled with dreams is a frustrating experience because you're not responsible for your existence yet and the people responsible for it want, at any cost, to downplay your expectations so you won't die of a broken heart. But the exercise is futile because young people who haven't experienced anything will not listen to depressing adults who tell them they need to forget about being a famous writer or a professional athlete and that they need to contribute to society in any way, shape of form. So, the path is filled with heartbreak and idiocy and the very purpose of existence becomes not to die inside. Before, people who did succumb did it through becoming boring and berating their kids for being fun and now, people who die inside just share memes about how they've died inside and how it makes it cool. But not Kevin Maloney. Oh no, siree.
That's more or less what The Red-Headed Pilgrim is about.
January 23, 2023
The Red-Headed Pilgrim by Kevin Maloney is a fun read! I’ve been really enjoying autofiction lately and I quite enjoyed this one! It’s about a man, Kevin Maloney, who recounts his adventurous life in pursuit of love. It’s such a wild ride all the way to the end. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Tim Paige and he was great. This is a good book to pick up when you’re in the mood for a fun lighthearted read.
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Thank you to HighBridge Audio via NetGalley for my ALC!
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Thank you to HighBridge Audio via NetGalley for my ALC!
March 18, 2023
The fictional Kevin Maloney is a cross between Candide and Jeff Spicoli from Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Which sounds delightful, and was for about the first 50 pages, then it just wore thin. True confession - I DNF'ed this book at about the 3/4 mark, even though I could have finished it within an hour. Kevin was just not evolving fast enough to keep my interest. Which is important when you have a stoner character, since it's a truism that after 10 minutes, stoners are only interesting to themselves. I don't say this condescendingly, since in high school I slid more than a toe into stonerland. I suspect my teenage self would have liked this novel much more than older me. But all this hasn't dimmed my love for it's publisher Two Dollar Radio.
January 22, 2023
This is such a delight, 10/10. A humorous and truthful look at trying to find meaning in life and ending up on the same path as our parents no matter how hard we try to avoid it. Many of us have experienced what this character goes through in his early twenties - a relationship that isn’t going to work out long term but you make an attempt to keep it going anyway, disillusionment with one’s path, meeting all sorts of weird people along the way. The parenting passages and marital strain portions really hit home for me. This book is for everyone.
January 15, 2023
This book is so fun. I laughed a lot and deeply related to the bewilderment one’s 40s can bring.
June 4, 2023
I tore through this book. Reads very well. Even though the topic can be tough at times, Kevin makes it digestible. I laughed a lot and cringed even more.
January 10, 2023
Funny and easy and wonderful. You're gonna love this.
February 8, 2023
I love self-deprecating humor. I feel like this entire book is about things I love: laughing at oneself, knowing your limitations, dark humor, the whimsy of life, and the acknowledgment of human foibles. All of those make life more interesting, more enjoyable. The author spends more time stubbing his toe on life, just like we do. Only we don't always admit it. Taking a good long look at yourself isn't always easy and we tend to make up our own legends, so who knows what's true and what's not in this book. But it was a whole lot of fun.
April 2, 2023
This book is fucking amazing
November 30, 2023
The Red-Headed Pilgrim by Kevin Maloney is a humorous novel of literary autofiction. The book description from the publisher describes it best: “On a sunny day in a business park near Portland, Oregon, 42-year-old web developer Kevin Maloney is in the throes of an existential crisis that finds him shoeless in a field of Queen Anne's lace, reflecting on the tumultuous events that brought him to this moment. Thus begins a journey of hard-earned insights and sexual awakening that takes Kevin from angst-ridden Beaverton to the beaches of San Diego, a frontier-themed roadside attraction in Helena, Montana, and a hermetic shack on an organic lettuce farm. Everything changes when Kevin falls in love with Wendy. After a chance tarot reading lands them on the frigid coast of Maine, their lives are unsettled by the birth of their daughter, Zoë, whose sudden presence is oftentimes terrifying, frequently disturbing, and yet--miraculously--always wondrous. The Red-Headed Pilgrim is an irresistible novel of misadventure and new beginnings, of wanderlust and bad decisions, of parenthood and divorce, and of the heartfelt truths we unearth when we least expect it.”
Main character “Kevin Maloney” is a fictionalized version of author Kevin Maloney and the book opens with him wondering how he fossilized into the day-job that was only supposed to last for a short time, but stretched into twelve years. What he really wanted to do was see the world or join a monastery or live in the woods shunning modern society and bellowing a “barbaric yawp.” Kevin wonders what happened? He recounts his younger years through his twenties with the verve and idiocy of Bukowski’s Hank Chinaski ala Walt Whitman ala Allen Ginsberg ala Burrough’s William Lee. He quotes Jung and listens to the Red Hot Chili Peppers and asks young women if he can stick his penis in their vaginas (literally). His adventures lead him to a weird, codependent relationship with Wendy which spawns a child named Zoë.
Eventually, Kevin’s relationship with Wendy curdles and Zoë becomes way more perceptive than Kevin or even Wendy can handle. It’s a pretty wild ride for Kevin and Wendy as they travel back and forth from Portland, Oregon to Portland, Maine and back, their restlessness exasperated by the demands of parenting and the need for money and benefits and stability that only a boring work-life can give.
The main focus, of course, is “Kevin.” He’s the narrator and the center of the story. Often hilariously oblivious, his single-mindedness toward getting laid or finding adventure is endearing for a good while, although his behavior and limited sensibility becomes tiresome and repetitive. Why does he keep making these idiotic decisions? It becomes hard to take after a while. Fortunately, author Kevin Maloney injects pathos and honest reflection by the end, which provides the reader an opportunity to inspect their own life as a teenager and young adult, all the stupid decision that they most likely made and the consequences of those stupid decisions. After reading the epilogue, I was able to relate to “Kevin” a bit and see my own idiotic younger self. That guy—my younger self—made a ton of boneheaded decisions, many of them regretful. One of the things “Kevin” feels nostalgic for is a young person’s ability to just go with it, to just roll with the punches, say yes to any adventure, to just do something—anything. And that’s a wonderful ability to have at any age. As Kevin declares by the end, just say “yes, yes, yes” to adventure.
I enjoyed this novel and I recommend it. I would give this book four and a half stars.
Main character “Kevin Maloney” is a fictionalized version of author Kevin Maloney and the book opens with him wondering how he fossilized into the day-job that was only supposed to last for a short time, but stretched into twelve years. What he really wanted to do was see the world or join a monastery or live in the woods shunning modern society and bellowing a “barbaric yawp.” Kevin wonders what happened? He recounts his younger years through his twenties with the verve and idiocy of Bukowski’s Hank Chinaski ala Walt Whitman ala Allen Ginsberg ala Burrough’s William Lee. He quotes Jung and listens to the Red Hot Chili Peppers and asks young women if he can stick his penis in their vaginas (literally). His adventures lead him to a weird, codependent relationship with Wendy which spawns a child named Zoë.
Eventually, Kevin’s relationship with Wendy curdles and Zoë becomes way more perceptive than Kevin or even Wendy can handle. It’s a pretty wild ride for Kevin and Wendy as they travel back and forth from Portland, Oregon to Portland, Maine and back, their restlessness exasperated by the demands of parenting and the need for money and benefits and stability that only a boring work-life can give.
The main focus, of course, is “Kevin.” He’s the narrator and the center of the story. Often hilariously oblivious, his single-mindedness toward getting laid or finding adventure is endearing for a good while, although his behavior and limited sensibility becomes tiresome and repetitive. Why does he keep making these idiotic decisions? It becomes hard to take after a while. Fortunately, author Kevin Maloney injects pathos and honest reflection by the end, which provides the reader an opportunity to inspect their own life as a teenager and young adult, all the stupid decision that they most likely made and the consequences of those stupid decisions. After reading the epilogue, I was able to relate to “Kevin” a bit and see my own idiotic younger self. That guy—my younger self—made a ton of boneheaded decisions, many of them regretful. One of the things “Kevin” feels nostalgic for is a young person’s ability to just go with it, to just roll with the punches, say yes to any adventure, to just do something—anything. And that’s a wonderful ability to have at any age. As Kevin declares by the end, just say “yes, yes, yes” to adventure.
I enjoyed this novel and I recommend it. I would give this book four and a half stars.
April 15, 2025
Although Kevin Maloney is a generation younger than I am, for most of the first half of this book, I had the giddy feeling I was reading my own writing, written by a young male alter ego. The Red-Headed Pilgrim is so reminiscent of my first two novels, Plan Z by Leslie Kove (which I describe as a "trip down the rabbit hole of the U.S.A." in the 1970s) and The Last Will & Testament of Zelda McFigg ("The Humorous Story of a One-Woman Train Wreck") that I found myself having déjà vu about scenes and point of view, even though his protagonist (Maloney, fictionalized) is without the trauma of my characters and has a lot more sex and romance.
But by the second half of this book, his drug-addled character matures, or fails to mature, beyond where my books go, and at that point, I quit thinking about my own work and became a full-fledged fan.
I immensely enjoyed this "tragicomic tale of an anxious red-head and his sordid pursuit of enlightenment and pleasure (not necessarily in that order)," per publisher Two Dollar Radio.
I discovered Two Dollar Radio after reading the magnificent The Deeper the Water the Uglier the Fish by Katya Apekina. I was so taken with Two Dollar's commitment to: books that "aren’t for everyone. [Because] The last thing the world needs is an indie press releasing books that could just as easily carry a corporate colophon…" that I searched their catalog and found Maloney's novel under the "humor" tag.
Kevin Maloney's work is light, entertaining, and philosophically comic, with one of the funniest and ultimately moving birthing scenes I've ever read—quite different from the sometimes-dark and complex Apekina book—but after reading both books, I suspect I'd like whatever Two Dollar Radio publishes.
But by the second half of this book, his drug-addled character matures, or fails to mature, beyond where my books go, and at that point, I quit thinking about my own work and became a full-fledged fan.
I immensely enjoyed this "tragicomic tale of an anxious red-head and his sordid pursuit of enlightenment and pleasure (not necessarily in that order)," per publisher Two Dollar Radio.
I discovered Two Dollar Radio after reading the magnificent The Deeper the Water the Uglier the Fish by Katya Apekina. I was so taken with Two Dollar's commitment to: books that "aren’t for everyone. [Because] The last thing the world needs is an indie press releasing books that could just as easily carry a corporate colophon…" that I searched their catalog and found Maloney's novel under the "humor" tag.
Kevin Maloney's work is light, entertaining, and philosophically comic, with one of the funniest and ultimately moving birthing scenes I've ever read—quite different from the sometimes-dark and complex Apekina book—but after reading both books, I suspect I'd like whatever Two Dollar Radio publishes.
July 9, 2025
4.5/5
The first half to two thirds of this book has some of the funniest lines I’ve read. Maloney captures the manchild aspect of “himself” (how much is fiction, how much is not is hard to tell) from teenage to early 40’s with wry humor in abundance.
Of course, every good party has to end with a hangover so Maloney’s holy fool comes down to earth (barely) still looking for a rocket to leave the gravitational pull towards a place where vice and virtue can be the same.
It’s an impossible desire but Maloney sure sells you on it.
The first half to two thirds of this book has some of the funniest lines I’ve read. Maloney captures the manchild aspect of “himself” (how much is fiction, how much is not is hard to tell) from teenage to early 40’s with wry humor in abundance.
Of course, every good party has to end with a hangover so Maloney’s holy fool comes down to earth (barely) still looking for a rocket to leave the gravitational pull towards a place where vice and virtue can be the same.
It’s an impossible desire but Maloney sure sells you on it.
February 15, 2023
Loved this book so much! Kevin writes about fatherhood and death and of love destroyed and existential crisis with heart and humor and humanity that I've seen other writers try to do but come up short. And he does it with unmatched ease that one can't help but notice and say, who does this guy think he is? in the best possible way.
February 19, 2024
This book was the funniest thing I’ve ever read. Had me flipping through the pages so fast to know what happens to Kevin. Also the author using his name as the protagonist is something I’ve never seen before in a work of fiction and I loved it. I feel as though this may be closer to nonfiction than fiction because of this and it makes you feel close to Kevin and relate to him as-well. Recommend to everyone.
August 29, 2024
I genuinely don’t know how I feel about this book. It was probably the funniest book I’ve read all year, but I really couldn’t stand Kevin for the majority of the plot. Regardless, thought provoking and funny. Give it a shot but it’s definitely not for everyone!
June 17, 2024
Courtney gave me this one to read and wow, I am quite the fan.
May 14, 2025
A curious little book.
February 12, 2023
Autofiction sure to entertain fans of Kurt Vonnegut, Tom Robbins and Christopher Moore.
February 12, 2023
This one starts strong and keeps getting better with every page
May 25, 2023
it’s no wonder i got through this book in less than a day. the humor and overall energy was completely captivating.
i will be on the look out for other kevin maloney novels!!
i will be on the look out for other kevin maloney novels!!
February 28, 2023
Hilarious . . .
March 24, 2024
By turns funny and melancholy, this coming-of-age novel is an engaging romp focusing on maturity (or lack thereof), relationships, parenthood, and the meaning of life.
May 11, 2023
HOW MANY MORE UNPUBLISHED NOVELS ARE YOU HOLDING OUT ON US KEVIN?
Kevin Maloney, real or imagined, steps out of his cubicle, on an ordinary day in 2019 at his boring job, out into the courtyard of his office park and into a TIMEQUAKE, sending me off on a half dozen of my own, remembering the guy he was before he gave up and inexplicably became an adult. This book was like an arrow through my heart, whisking me back to all my ridiculous memories -- young love, bad decisions, glorious naivete. If you've read Cult of Loretta (and if you haven't, MAKE HASTE) you know Maloney's writing, what I affectionately dub "nobrow fuckit humor": straight-talk writing-like-you'd-actually-tell-it-to-another-human-being exactly as it happened, honest and funny as hell. My insides still hurt.
Kevin Maloney, real or imagined, steps out of his cubicle, on an ordinary day in 2019 at his boring job, out into the courtyard of his office park and into a TIMEQUAKE, sending me off on a half dozen of my own, remembering the guy he was before he gave up and inexplicably became an adult. This book was like an arrow through my heart, whisking me back to all my ridiculous memories -- young love, bad decisions, glorious naivete. If you've read Cult of Loretta (and if you haven't, MAKE HASTE) you know Maloney's writing, what I affectionately dub "nobrow fuckit humor": straight-talk writing-like-you'd-actually-tell-it-to-another-human-being exactly as it happened, honest and funny as hell. My insides still hurt.
June 15, 2023
OK, so what is the best thing about this book? It's not long. In an effort to join the genre of Tom Robbin, Richard Brautigan, Kurt Vonnegut and others of the hippie generation--Kevin Maloney comes up painfully short. Someone called the book hilarious-- I defy them to prove it. There's more humor in one page of Tom Robbins than in all of The Red-Headed Pilgrim. I found it tedious, predictable and wanting. I made it to the start of the last chapter--hoping, ever hoping, for the book to live up to the sub-genre. I stopped, disappointed, at the last chapter and read no more: my form of psychic revenge.
February 4, 2023
Rounding up from 2.5 stars only because of the multiple Joy Division references…good taste in music makes up for multiple flaws. Despite all the advance reviews, nothing here made me laugh out loud or even chuckle quietly. The author tries way too hard to make this humorous? absurd? satirical? I’m still not sure. Unless some mostly sophomoric takes on sex and drugs and rock ‘n’ roll are what you find funny or insightful or, to be honest, maybe a bit pitiful, there’s no compelling reason to seek this one out. I did enjoy the audiobook narrator for what it’s worth.
April 18, 2023
Read this book, but only if you want to waste your time paging through some very creative work by a talented writer who has absolutely wasted his gift by penning a bunch of pornography about a worthless character wasting his life.
What garbage.
I made it through 73 pages of the 225 and decided life was too valuable to be spent on junk like this.
What garbage.
I made it through 73 pages of the 225 and decided life was too valuable to be spent on junk like this.
January 31, 2023
I went to the event for this book release at Powell’s. It’s a fictionalized version of Maloney’s own coming of age story. Main character is easy to identify with and laugh and cry with. Very much looking forward to Maloney’s upcoming book of short stories—I really like his writing.
February 22, 2023
Somehow Kevin Maloney has managed to make the pathetic poetic. You watch this character get screwed by life and shortsightedness and naivety, yet he is so easy to root for. This is some true alchemy. I laughed out loud over and over and also maybe sorta cried at a few points.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 97 reviews