Benjamin Franklin famously noted, “In this world, nothing is certain but death and taxes.” With concise dialogue and vibrant story telling, David Guy surveys the theme of life’s transience in his novel, Jake Fades. Jake Fades tells a subtle and compelling story of an aging Zen teacher (Jake) and his long-time pupil (Hank) dealing with the closing stages of Jake’s life as he experiences dementia. They travel from their home in Maine to Boston ostensibly to hold Jake’s final retreat and to pass on Jake’s teaching mantle to Hank before Jake dies. While in the city, they encounter gritty and inviting characters such as Jess, the brash-yet-vulnerable bar maid; Madeleine, Jake’s long-time patron; Josh, Hank’s adult son; and Kevin, a young man with apparent depression and some undisclosed angst troubling his soul. Kevin is not the only character with secrets, sorrow, and sadness. Along the way we discover that everyone harbors questions about their past, present, and future. The characters deal with real-life issues such as addiction, sex, fear, intimacy, parenting, regrets, loneliness, illness, pain, hunger, education, vocation, spiritual seeking, grief, and death. David Guy weaves these and other themes to create an inviting narrative with three-dimensional characters. As you read, you will likely recognize yourself, people you know, conversations you’ve had, and questions you’ve pondered. As the story unfolds, we find that Jake has more on his mind than just installing Hank as a new teacher. With clues strewn along the way, the surprising climax of the story will help you see that everyone lives with the memory of pivotal events that have shaped their lives. Outward appearances do not tell anyone’s complete story. Realizing that we’re all multi-layered helps to create mindfulness in our relationships with the people closest to us, with strangers, and with ourselves. With engaging, lively, and sometimes explicit dialogue, Jake Fades reminds us of the perennial wisdom “that you’ve got to look at yourself. Sooner or later you’ve got to look. Pay attention. You can spend your whole life running from it, but that’s a form of suffering. You think you want to run, it makes everything easier, but it’s easier to face it. That’s the weird part. When you finally sit down to face it, and that might take years, it’s easy. Much easier than what you’ve been doing.” Jake Fades is set in the context of Zen; however, the issues at stake are human ones. Regardless of your religious or philosophical persuasion, you can find gentle and authentic life-lessons that will touch your heart and shape your living. You’ll come to see that life is a constant transition and embracing impermanence will—paradoxically—help you live fully in the present. Kevin Beck is COO of Presence International. He is married to Alisa, and they live in Colorado Springs with their three electrifying children.
URL:
http://www.presence.tv/cms/per_jake-fades-a-review.php
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