An intense exploration of one's spirituality under the advisement of a not-so well meaning mentor is the heart of this book. The story is fast, engaging and will make you think about your own spirituality.

Interesting exploration of faith and, frankly, maturity. Nicole left her Irish Catholic family as a runaway and thinks she found herself when she discovered Buddhism. Her Zen master, however, is manipulative and in some ways destructive so now that she recognized this, she must leave him. This is slow in spots but I found the details of zen practice intriguing. Nicole is not the most sympathetic character - although I wanted to tap her on the shoulder more than once and tell her to stop. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. For fans of literary fiction.