The Temple — Michael J. Cooper

"What little that remains of my past is carried on my back; the rest, by choice, is gone." Thus begins the unique diary of a medieval traveler who has embarked on a journey to pursue the destiny envisioned in his youth but lost in passing years. The unknown author weaves a compelling tale of his spiritual emptiness and his exploration for fulfillment. Joining in this voyage of self-discovery, we witness through his own words the slow metamorphosis of a man who, though once productive, now writes, "My sanity is mine alone...I am sane because I choose to say that I am sane." The evocative entries begin as he forsakes civilization and becomes lost in a great forest. Desperate from hunger and fatigue, he stumbles upon an ancient temple built to honor seven long-forgotten gods once worshiped there. The temple becomes his home and the gods, revived by his presence, slowly become the center of his life, seeming to satisfy his quest for meaning. His diary details his efforts to glorify their memory, preserve their creation story and nurture their egos; yet it also bears witness to the increasing influence these deities exert over him, their last acolyte, as he dedicates himself to their service, and it describes the debilitating challenges imposed on him leaving him vulnerable to divine manipulation. This book offers readers a psychological study of an individual who seeks himself through solitude and then compensates for his loneliness and deprivation through pious excess. Inspired by the spiritual realism of Saramago, Rushdie and Marquez, it teaches us that life often denies any answers and creates no heroes; it's man against himself with no winners.