by Mark Salzman (Author)
In a Carmelite monastery on the outskirts of Los Angeles, life has continued virtually unchanged for centuries. Here, Sister John of the Cross lives in the service of God. She is the only nun who experiences visions and is regarded by the others as a spiritual master. But Sister John is also plagued by powerful headaches and when a doctor reveals that they may be dangerous, she faces a devastating choice. Is this grace merely an illness and will a 'cure' mean the end of her illuminations and a soul dry and searching?
Format: Paperback
Pages: 190
Edition: New
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Published: 06 Jan 2003
ISBN 10: 0747561400
ISBN 13: 9780747561408
Book Overview: A bestseller in the USA, selling over 60,000 copies, LYING AWAKE is a brilliant portrayal of one woman's trial at the perilous intersection of faith and reason 'Powerful sheds light on the cloister of the monastery as well as on the cloister of the mind an unusual and notable achievement' Erica Wagner, THE TIMES 'A singularly rich and abundant work a rare willingness to engage faith on its own ground, to find in it a value that transcends the agnostic shrug and the therapeutic pieties of New Age shills' NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW