Review of The Door of Life

[Maduabuchi Eze]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Door of Life" by Hristo Tanev.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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The Door of Life: A Mystic Diary highlights the journey of a man seeking peace of mind and a spiritual renaissance. The book is divided into days, ranging from Day One to Day 17. Day One presents us with a restless, disillusioned soul who has eventually decided to visit a monastery to embark on a solitary journey of meditation and enlightenment. What follows are the series of visions and trance experiences he had while there.

The introduction was such a powerful welcome. Hristo Tanev aptly highlights the miserable condition of human nature, an existence laden with "forests of fears and hopes, falling and getting back on" (page 2). This note evoked in me different shades of thought and emotions so strong that I had to intentionally put the energies in check, but it did get me ready for the man I would be meeting from "Day One" through "Day 17". It was such a memorable experience, greatly enhanced by the diligent editing; I found just three grammatical errors in the book.

I was very impressed with the meticulous presentation of the man's experiences in the monastery; it was easy for me to follow the account of his deep trances and visions. This was especially enhanced through the vivid word choices, the use of symbolism and other poetic devices, and, of course, the choice of a first-person narrator. For instance, the way the woman who assumed the place of the snowy mountain was described added depth to what she represented.

The book's thematic preoccupations extend beyond personal spiritual experiences to include wider social issues like what artificial intelligence portends for mankind's well-being, and in this, concerns like the safety of the human brain were raised. Overall, this was a great read, and I recommend it to those passing through spiritual crises, hoping that they find it impactful and reconnect with whatever force it is that powers their existence.

However, I found some issues in this book. The lack of information about the narrator's identity wasn't helpful; I had no idea if this was the author's experience or another person's. The omission of details about the monastery the narrator visited only made it worse. Some notes in this diary, like the one regarding artificial intelligence, sounded controversial to me, and there were times I found it difficult to figure out whether some incidents happened or were just tricks from the narrator's troubled mind.

I rate The Door of Life: A Mystic Diary four out of five stars because of its insights into some mystical experiences and the meticulous manner in which they were presented. I removed one star from the rating for the lack of information about the narrator's identity and the monastery he visited.

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The Door of Life
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[TrishaCleve]

I find that books in this genre, although enjoyable to read, present issues for me when describing to a friend. However, you have done a fantastic job of doing this. Superb job of explaining the need for everyone literate to read this book.
I look forward to reading more reviews that you have written, as well as future work with OBC. Thank You.

[Okewunmi Pelumi]

I love this review. Well written and easy to understand.