Eat Pray Love: Book Review

“The only thing more unthinkable than leaving was staying; the only thing more impossible than staying was leaving.”

~Elizabeth Gilbert

Recently divorced and very depressed, Liz sets out on a year long journey to experience worldly pleasure, meditate, and find her inner self in Italy, India, and Indonesia.

I disliked this book from the very first sentence. “I wish Giovanni would kiss me.”

I should have put the book down then and there, but I had hopes that it would get better. It was a classic travel story after all.

The first third of the book was one big pity party. She wakes up one night and, while crying in the bathroom, realizes her inner voice is telling her to divorce her husband. He was not abusive, not unkind even, but the warm feelings of new love are gone and Elizabeth feels alone and empty.

Liz’s husband, naturally unhappy about being dumped without a good reason, was not eager to let the divorce happen smoothly. Liz bewails this fact in page after page reasoning on how she could have been so happy if her husband had just released her instantly and let her get on with her life.

Throughout the book, she jumps from one man to another, constantly craving attention and affection in unhealthy ways, and ending in tears when men aren’t able to constantly pour affirmation and love upon her soul.

Italy

This was the most interesting section of the book. I enjoyed reading about the different foods that she ate and the experiences in a new country. On the whole, it was overshadowed by whining, complaining, way too many tears, and numerous self-pity parties.

“DAVID, OH DAVID, DON’T LEAVE ME! BUT I CAN’T HAVE YOU STAY EITHER. I’M SO CONFUSED AND DEPRESSED. WHY DON’T YOU JUST READ MY MIND AND KNOW WHAT I WANT YOU TO DOOOOO. WAAAAA.”

India

100+ pages about meditation and yoga. As a Christian, I believe that meditation is wrong (in the sense of “emptying your mind” and sitting for a million hours doing absolutely nothing but looking for your inner self). Aside from that, this section was so boring. She started out terrible, got slightly better, and ended up thinking that she was a master. She still hadn’t manage to find her Inner Self.

Indonesia

Several chapters more of learning about Balinese mediation. *sighhhhhhs* I found the people that she met to be very interesting, though, and enjoyed reading about them.

She befriends a traditional healer and finds out that she is in desperate need of a house. She raises a ton of money and gives it to her friend. It was a rare moment when Liz wasn’t thinking about herself. A gleam of light.

Inevitably, Liz “finds true love” in Bali. She meets a Brazilian man who is twenty years older than her and they fall for each other. Insert a whole bunch of mushy romance scenes.

Though not mentioned in the book (if I remember correctly) Liz ends up marrying the guy and – shocker – divorcing him later, only to get into a relationship her best (female) friend.

“Yet what keeps me from dissolving right now into a complete fairy-tale shimmer is this solid truth, a truth which has veritably built my bones over the last few years–I was not rescued by a prince; I was the administrator of my own rescue.”

There were so many things that I disliked about this book, but what really bothers me is that so many people love it because it is a “spiritual journey of finding happiness and self”. Journeys to self always end in pain, heartache, and unhappiness. We need to serve, to look outward, to help others instead of constantly “looking for ourselves”.

I went through the whole stupidity of self-search and guess what? All I found was disgust, self-hatred, and sin. It was only when I turned to God and learned a bit about self-denial that I found true joy. It frustrates me that this book is spreading the lie that you can find ultimate happiness by making selfish, immature decisions.

“I’m here. I love you. I don’t care if you need to stay up crying all night long, I will stay with you. If you need the medication again, go ahead and take it—I will love you through that, as well. If you don’t need the medication, I will love you, too. There’s nothing you can ever do to lose my love. I will protect you until you die, and after your death I will still protect you. I am stronger than Depression and I am braver than Loneliness and nothing will ever exhaust me.”

A note from Liz to herself

~Hattush

Have you read Eat Pray Love? What were your thoughts?