Aflame: Learning from Silence

Fans of Iyer (The Half Known Life) will welcome this latest compilation of his reflections on how solitude, contemplation, and a stay at a hermitage can be utilized to help people cope with war, climate change, and other vicissitudes of life. It is, to be sure, thoughtful and inspirational reading. Even so, readers may find themselves feeling impatient with his nearly formulaic delivery of pensées, some only a line or two long without any real narrative. Based in Japan, Iyer writes about lessons he’s learned from going on multiple solitary retreats a year. These secluded sessions entail long stretches of silence and are held in a small Benedictine hermitage in Big Sur, CA. Descriptions of his retreat experiences include receiving the news of his daughter’s cancer diagnosis and his mother’s profound grief over his father’s death while Iyer was away from his family.