Both an ambitious philosophical journey and a meditative portrait of spiritual growth amid trials and hardship
Mountain Home picks up where Grace Zacaroli’s previous novel, The Carpenter and the Apprentice, leaves off. Here, an ex-soldier turned spiritual apprentice, Danat, embarks on a journey with the recently orphaned Solomon to find the boy’s paternal family. Two wise companions, Asbat and Jonah, join them on this journey, and as they travel, Danat’s physical safety is threatened and the carpenter’s teachings are put into practice.
Prioritizing spiritual growth and meditation over action, Mountain Home uses its light plot to teach and encourage. In alternating sections, Danat and Solomon contend with both internal and external stressors but learn what it means to grow in the process. Imprisoned and starved, Danat suffers greatly, but to a meaningful narrative purpose. Zacaroli shows him leaning into the carpenter’s teachings and slowly achieving spiritual transcendence in the face of his suffering.
Solomon’s struggle is comparatively internal. He contends with terrible guilt and worry for Danat. He too uses the carpenter’s teachings, which we are given in flashbacks. “Love is present in all of us, he said. But most of us will have to dig through many layers of fear, doubt, confusion and separateness to know it [….] When you know Love, you can live it.”
Throughout the novel, Danat and Solomon put the carpenter’s wisdom into practice, turning their spiritual growth into a visible cause and effect. This is particularly moving when Danat is confronted by his captors toward the end of his imprisonment and he “pray[s] for the strength and will to show them Love.”
The carpenter’s lessons pull from multiple belief structures, including Buddhism and Christianity, but Zacaroli weaves them into a cogent whole. The result is a patient guide that illustrates the spiritual potential of meditation, compassion, and radical acceptance.
The relatively calm plot of Mountain Home exists to facilitate meditation and guidance. Given this priority, Danat and Solomon are effective reader stand-ins. The effect of their struggle and growth is empowering because if Danat and Solomon can do it, you can too.
The only stumbling block on this journey is the pacing. We spend a great deal of time with Solomon’s guilt and in Danat’s filthy cell. The didactic prose can feel repetitive at times, but this could also be seen as a practical feature instead of an outright bug. With this repetition, there is more room for reader reflection.
Zacaroli’s knowledge and compassion about the spiritual path shines. Mountain Home is an instructive, encouraging read for those seeking a spiritually emotional experience. The characters confront fear and despair with an expanding spiritual perspective and are rewarded with safety and evolution.
Like you, Danat and Solomon emerge from hardship but are better prepared to journey on.
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