Eat. Pray. Love; or Binge. Purge. Rinse-and-Repeat.

I know the book is a best seller, and I know lots of people swarmed the movie. I also know that I am probably the last woman in America to either read the book or watch the film, but hey, I've been busy. :)

I love books about women's paths to self-discovery. I think we are on a constant journey, ever-changing and growing ideally for the better. Separate many parts of the book from the whole story and they make very relate-able anecdotes. But take the well-woven tale in its entirety and it has a binge-purge-rinse-and-repeat feel to it that seems very irresponsible.

Let me explain. The first third of the book focuses on the trip to Italy, but also gives Liz's marital/boyfriend drama back-story. The short of it, Liz starts to hate her life and everything it has become. She's not in love with her husband, she doesn't want kids and she loathes the suburban home she always thought she should have. She asks for a divorce, then meets a new boyfriend, David, before the divorce is complete. Her and David break up and reunite many times and the relationship is always sloppy and tumultuous.

That's a brief synopsis, and I don't want to trivialize her divorce. Realizing at almost 30 that you are not the person you want to be can be a harrowing experience. Liz panicked often and slid into a deep, deep depression succumbed by guilt. This is essentially the springboard for her journey of self-realization and discovery; her search for God and balance. Her escape from the world for a year. I'm not going to comment on the reasons for divorce because, hey, I wasn't there and I don't know the entire story. But her narrative sets up the theme of male-dependence for self-worth.

Overall, I felt the book was extremely selfish. I understand it's a book about self-discovery, but it's self-discovery without regard to the well-being of anybody else; hardly the balance she sought to achieve. By the end of the book, I felt she was well on her way to falling back into the same pattern.

Binge

In Italy, Liz sought pleasure. Pleasure through food, through the Italian language, through the sites... all to help heal her ailing heart. She ate tons of pizza, drank a lot of wine, and could no longer fit in her pants.

Purge

In India, Liz sought out peace through meditation in an Ashram. She lived a rigorous life of prayer, yoga, chores and a vegetarian diet. She had several transcendent experiences at the Ashram and was able to let go of a lot of the pain from her divorce and relationship with David.

Rinse

Indonesia is next; specifically Bali. The Balinese are known for balance, which is what Liz wants to achieve after the pleasure of Italy and discipline of India. And as soon as she feels she's balanced...

..and Repeat

Liz "takes a Brazilian lover." She spends most of the rest of her time in Bali with this man. She rationalizes it, even though she told herself she would be celibate for the entire year by saying this is all part of her finding balance. How often we all rationalize things to ourself. If you have to rationalize, you probably aren't attaining the success you anticipated. Human nature: we try to get what we want, when we want it.

This is where the book ends. (Don't worry, if you haven't read it I have left out a tremendous amount of detail and side-stories.) We would assume Liz goes back to America, restarts her life and perhaps merely sees this Brazilian on occasion. After all, they have both said they don't want to marry. But the next page of my book advertises Elizabeth Gilbert's newest book, about the Brazilian wanting to come to America and the only way is for them to get married.

Self-discovery is a wonderful thing, and I'm not sure we ever get to a point where we know who we truly are. It seems that once I am comfortable with my thoughts and beliefs, something shifts and I am knocked off balance again. But I don't run.