A Chronicle of Amends

Title: A Chronicle of Amends
Author: Tariq Saleim
Publisher: CreateSpace
ISBN: 9781491253854
Pages: 326, Paperback/Kindle
Genre: Spirituality / Religion

Reviewed by: Lisa Brown-Gilbert, Pacific Book Review

 

Book Review

Everyone has a purpose in life, and some can spend a lifetime trying to discover their true purpose. Never an easy endeavor, the journey can often be chock full of fears, challenges, uncertainty, and confusion; therefore it often helps to have a guidepost. Author Tariq Saleim wants to be the guidepost for people seeking their true spiritual purpose, having found his true sense of purpose he shares the details of his complex journey in his debut novel, A Chronicle of Amends: A spiritual journey for discovering life’s true purpose. It is Mr. Saleim’s hope that his words will inspire others to take the journey as well. This novel is a collection of his deepest thoughts, emotions, and observations derived from his many years of experiences while seeking to discover his true spiritual aspiration.

Divided into four books, each could be read as a stand – alone work, they are compelling; thoughtful reads that will spur the reader into undertaking their own journey of heeding spiritual ideals and fomenting their faith in God. Book one is a selection of Mr. Saleim’s spiritually moving free verse poetry; each poem expresses some sentiment of his journey; at times expressing laments, regrets vulnerability, fear, faith and spiritual re-birth. Although, all the poems are engrossing, one in particular stands out; Sometimes I Fear, which looks at the fears, guilt of inaction and choices made for the life you lead.

Book Two titled Reflections, contains brief verses containing his in-depth observations and truisms about life, love, faith and spirituality each resonating with real life perspectives on the metaphysical. Book Three, which is a novella, examines his relationship with his spiritual mentor. The story opens with his first hand experience of a terrorist attack, of which he and his mentor are injured. He survived his injuries while his mentor remained in a coma with no hope of revival. Eloquently put, the novella is a coherent telling of the introspective, reflective, and speculative nature of their experiences together deriving the fodder, which helped to cultivate his spiritualist wisdom. Book Four titled Notes and Probes contains an assortment of anecdotes, each relaying unique ideals concerning leading a spiritually enhanced life. Some are instructional in tone while others are edifying, this section covers topics such as the habit of worrying, seeking happiness, death and atheism, while others denote revelations about human nature, reflecting on their meaning spiritually.

I enjoyed reading A Chronicle of Amends: A spiritual Journey for discovering life’s true purpose, I found it to be thought stimulating, and emotion invoking, written in an easily relatable tone; especially the novella. I recommend this book for anyone seeking to understand the tenets of spiritualism and start their journey of finding their true purpose in life.