Lying Awake

Mark Salzman

I read about this book in the LA Times and found the premise interesting and unusual enough to pick it up. The story centers uon a nun, her life and spiritual journey through several decades as a contemplative in a Carmelite monestary in Los Angeles. She has suffered thru spiritual searching in many of those decades but has also had a spiritual life of visions and intense religious experiences. She is looked upon as a spiritual master in the convent.

Terrible headaches eventually lead her to a doctor from whom she learns that her spiritual gifts may be symptoms of an illness rather than God's presence. She is faced with the choice of having an operation that may eliminate the visions/experiences if they are of an organic nature or not having it and continuing to feel the presence of God in her life intensely. Having an awareness of God in her life and a connectiveness to has have been an ongoing spiritual crisis since she joined the convent.

The story lies in unfolding her backgroud before the convent ... her loneliness and rejection within her family .. her lack of feeling a connection to God ... and, then, the spiritual and emotional dilemma she faces that once she has the relationship she has longed for with him ... to find out it may be the result of epilepsy.

I thought this was quite a good book if you are interested in spiritual journeys and those who go to the extreme to enter a contemplative order to take their journey with. It's a very short book and the writing is flowing and pleasant.