I decided to read The Serpent Rising after reading My Father’s Suitcase in which Mary Garden talks about the violent physical abuse inflicted on her by her younger sister, Anna.
Mary was a brilliant student but having been diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder she was finding it hard to cope with life. She stumbled on Eastern mysticism at an Ashram in New Zealand, after which she decided to travel to India in a search of enlightenment.
The Serpent Rising is an absolutely fascinating story about a vulnerable young woman who needed help in recovering from a childhood of not being heard while an enormous, far reaching problem was unfolding within her own family. Unfortunately, Mary’s vulnerability was soon seized upon by an unscrupulous guru (and there were plenty of those around) and she relates her extraordinary tale with stunning clarity. I could see India in technicolor as I read, with the mighty Ganges flowing down from the mountains and the profusion of flowers and shrubs all around, as well as the dirt and the dust of the crowded cities.
This is a memoir like no other I’ve read. It is sad, moving, powerful and, ultimately, hopeful.
Published by Justitia Books
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