Yoga

RANDY ROSENTHAL, THE LOS ANGELES TIMES

"... there's a central mystery that makes Yoga as profoundly engaging as it is frustrating ... Whatever its causes in the real world, the elision in the book is an unforgivable flaw, a black hole at its center. Sometimes, what's left unsaid creates a more interesting work; in this case it decidedly does not ... After Carrère is discharged from the hospital, the story stagnates as its disparate parts fail to cohere ... Ultimately, "Yoga" shows there's no single narrative about the connection between meditation and mental health. Some people benefit from it; others don't. Moreover, Carrère's narrative implies that this is the wrong question; with Yoga, he seems to conclude that happiness depends on factors outside our control — or at least outside our minds. At the end, when he's sure nothing good in his life will ever happen, he falls in love again. His low shoots to a high; he feels 'completely happy to be alive.' And the roller coaster sets out for another spin."