When I'm Gone, Look for Me in the East

Quan Barry made a splash in 2020 with a much talked about novel that focused on a girls field hockey team in the 80's. Naturally you expect her to follow that up with a Mongolian Buddhist quest story helmed by a 23 year old novice that shares a psychic connection with his rebellious twin brother.

Chuluun is in search of the reincarnated Lama and embarks on a reflective travelogue that includes sheep smuggling, personal hunting eagles, American paleontolgists and sky burials. But it's a spiritual journey as well as Chuluun wrestles with his place in the Buddhist order, especially when his pool hustling, cigarette smoking and decidedly “experienced” brother has forsaken much of the order's tenets.

It's a slow journey but one that was thoroughly savoured.

This is a meditative and unconventional novel. I appreciated the many gems of wisdom, and even took pictures of a few pages. The story was a bit slow at times, but I think that is part of the point. This is one that I could pick up from time to time, read a page or two, and feel a bit calmer and closer to the rest of humanity. It would be nice to discuss with friends to make sure that I didn't miss things, as that seems quite plausible.
While I appreciated reading the text, and being able to capture powerful sentences, the narrative may have gone more quickly if I had been listening.