Book Review: Downward Dog, Upward Fog

By Cindy Roesel
Lorna Crawford has stress in her life! Can anyone relate? Take a number, right?!? In the beginning of Meryl Davids Landau’s novel, DOWNWARD DOG UPWARD FOG, Lorna is on her way to a heart attack with her high-pressure job and stressful life. But the question remains does she want to stay on this E-ride to inevitable burn-out or does she want to stop, slow down, take a look around and get some balance in her life?

DOWNWARD DOG UPWARD FOG offers a rare, fun read with a deep spiritual message. It isn’t religious "kneel, stand, bow, no meat on Friday stuff." Think of it more like yoga-loving girlfriends hanging out, drinking chai tea. It quotes several people who are referred to as new age-thought thinkers such as Eckhart Tolle, Deepak Chopra and Marianne Williamson. If these people aren’t your cup of tea this might not be your kind of book, although if you’re open, the narrative is something to which many of us can relate.

Lorna has everything: the money, the job and the boyfriend...but she still feels empty and not happy. At the urging of her happy-go-lucky sister, she goes to a yoga class, makes a new friend and starts reading spiritual books offering paths to enlightenment. She finds herself slowly making small changes in her life like gossiping less at work, being more patient in the grocery line, simple things that make a big difference. Eventually she goes on a silent retreat and the real change happens within when she returns and has to face scheming co-workers, judgmental friends, her overly critical mother and her hot boyfriend, who doesn’t seem so hot. Will she be able to put into practice what she has learned, is the purpose of life? “Accepting whatever is happening simply because it’s already happening?”

I really enjoyed DOWNWARD DOG UPWARD FOG as a novel because it was fresh and different. But I look forward to Meryl Davids Landau telling her own story in a memoir. As Meryl herself writes, “your journey elevates not only yourself, but everyone around you.” To find out more about Meryl Davids Landau visit the website for DOWNWARD DOG, UPWARD FOG or her Facebook page.

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