Neither Coming Nor Going

Richard Diedrichs
CreateSpace (2010)
ISBN 9781452891750
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (12/10)

 

When Renee Wind, a Zen Buddhist practitioner approaches Dan Fehr with accusations against their highly respected teacher of Zen Buddhism, Daito Matsui, Dan has a serious dilemma on his hands.  He has studied under Daito Matsui for a long time, and has never seen him act disrespectfully to any of the other female followers. On the other hand, when Renee tells him that she has been touched inappropriately, he doesn’t want to dismiss her claims.  Dan decides that they need to confront their teacher and ask for an explanation.

When they discover that he has been missing for two weeks, they both go in search of him.  As they travel down the California coast together, Dan and Renee realize that they are interested in each other.  This complicates the situation, because both people have some issues to work out regarding past experiences.  If they can work through these together, then they will both become stronger individuals.  For Renee, it is highly important that Dan totally believes her.  However, this is difficult for Dan because of his faith in his teacher, and while he is very attracted to Renee, he cannot always read her moods very well.
           
As they journey together, they also have some very deep conversations regarding their pasts, their Buddhist’s practice, and what they hope for the future.  Ultimately, at this time, to be together, one of them has to give up something important.  If they choose not to, then they have to move off on their own.  This is a really tough situation, and being able to put to practice what they are studying seems to be the biggest test.

As I began reading this novel, I found myself totally engrossed in the story.  Currently, I have seen many real life situations where a spiritual or religious leader has been accused of inappropriate sexual behavior.  This story really brings the issue to life, because, as in most cases, the leader is someone who seems incapable of such acts.  For Dan to have a problem believing the accusation is totally realistic, and his dilemma of how to handle the situation also seemed very true to life.  It gave me a lot of food for thought, especially when it comes to judging people who are trying to handle these issues.  I don’t think situations like this are ever very simple.

In addition to enjoying the storyline, the author also intersperses a great deal of Buddhist philosophies into the storyline.  As the characters were learning, or discussing these beliefs, I got to follow along and learn a lot.  It was also interesting to see how they could apply what they were learning to their everyday life situations, and the more serious issues that had arisen.  “Neither Coming Nor Going” will definitely give you material for thought-provoking discussions.

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