Finished Eat Pray Love. I admit, it exceeded my (low) expectations. I expected chick-lit with an overbearing dose of God. In fact, it’s a self-conscious memoir about depression and trying to find peace in yourself when your heart’s been ripped out of your chest and run over by a truck. Familiar? Yes.
I’m not religious so I was apprehensive about the whole searching for God thing, but in fact this is more about searching for the divinity within yourself. The author doesn’t really align herself with any particular religion, but explores the options and practices of many. I failed to be totally convinced by her transcendental experiences, but I’m definitely down with the whole kindness and compassion thing, and I’m into mediatation and yoga so her time in an Indian Ashram was fascinating.
It’s not quite the “accessible to every woman” guide book it presents itself to be, since obviously we’re not all getting paid to spend a year in Italy, India, and Indonesia finding ourselves and getting paid to do it. But it’s certainly nice that we can share the ride.
Is it wrong that I’m disappointed by the happy romantic ending? It seems to me Liz spends the whole book escaping from the depression brought on by failed romance, and then just when she’s really becoming happy with just being herself, she attaches herself to a man again. It’s kind of a mixed message. I would’ve preferred it if she became a Buddhist Nun.
Speaking of which, my next book is Start Where You Are, by Buddhist Nun Pema Chodron. (After a little bit more of Howl. When does that movie come out in NZ, anyway? James Franco, yum.)