Pilgrim Maya
Authors: Bela Breslau and Stephen Billias
A young woman, Maya Marinovich, suffers a terrible personal tragedy that causes her to start down several false paths before finding redemption. In the beginning of the story, Maya is a lost soul, depressed, anxious, suicidal over the deaths of her husband and infant daughter. She has a strong spirit but no direction.
To find a new start, Maya leaves Boston for San Francisco. She gets involved briefly, but passionately, with the leader of a Japanese-Jewish cult movement called The Lost Tribe, made up of Japanese and American followers of Sajiro Morioka.
Next Maya throws herself into the world of artists, dancers, writers, and musicians who live in a co-housing building in Oakland called The Laundry. The Bon Vivants, as they call themselves, are an eclectic bunch who live life to the fullest, often hosting wild parties.
In the final chapters, Maya meets Buddhist teachers Eli Ronen and his wife Reva, and begins a lifelong process of healing and transformation, finding meaning through helping others.
Reviews
Pilgrim Maya is a fascinating peregrination, an open-hearted "private journal" of a woman who dispels guilt, accepts life as wabi-sabi, sees the beauty of transience and imperfection, and relishes the delights of her body and mind. After each chapter, I found myself eager to meet the next characters Maya would encounter on her path to healing.
Pat Ryan, short story author, forner Culture editor, New York Times
Pilgrim Maya tells the story of a woman who has suffered the kind of devastating loss that could easily destroy the rest of her life – or transform her into a powerful force for love and healing. With such high stakes, plus the lucid voice of its first-person narrator, this novel has the essential ingredients for an uplifting and engrossing read. Besides offering illuminating glimpses into the paradoxical "Oneness of Everything," its characters and communities have dedicated themselves to awakening in sometimes novel and surprising ways. The Pilgrim is a testament to the creativity and kindness of one's fellow pilgrims on the path to redemption. Recommended for seekers!
Barbara McHugh, author of author of the award-winning novel Bride of the Buddha
Recommended for a broad audience of readers, from those interested in novels of growth and adventure to discussion groups that would focus on Maya's progressive journeys as a touch point for not just recovery from grief or loss, but opportunities for transcendence and new purpose.
D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
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