Receive a free short story when you subscribe

PR Isfeld

Reading: The Book of Alchemy
Reading: The Book of Alchemy

 “I can shake off everything as I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn.”

–Anne Frank

The subtitle of Sulleika Jaouad’s The Book of Alchemy is “a creative practice for an inspired life” and this collection of essays and journaling prompts delivers on that promise to both absolute beginners and seasoned creatives. It also offers a way to transform our most challenging experiences into something useful and maybe even beautiful, if only for ourselves.

Jaouad, author of the popular Substack newsletter “The Isolation Journals” has pulled together advice from a hundred sources who share her view of journaling as an essential and even life-saving practice. The short pieces, many of which deal with difficult subjects, are organized in ten sections including “beginning,” “fear,” “seeing,” “the body” and “alchemy,” each introduced with a personal essay by Jaouad. Contributors range from prominent writers like Elizabeth Gilbert and Gloria Steinem and performers such as Lena Dunham to a prisoner who was executed in 2021 (despite Jaouad’s advocacy on his behalf).

My favourite element of the book is the incredibly diverse writing prompts offered by these contributors. Some examples:

  • Start a sentence with “If you really knew me,” then meditate on the responses, and ask how things would change if people had that information;
  • Describe something you’ve never never actually seen;
  • Make a “to feel” list (instead of the usual “to do”);
  • Write about a time you’ve dreaded something and it turned out to be much easier than you thought;
  • Recall a time a child taught you something important.

Jaouad’s own wisdom about acceptance and uncertainty is hard-earned: in the book’s afterword, she writes about the news that her leukemia, which she has been battling for over a decade, has now returned for a third time. Her approach to journaling as alchemy manages to avoid toxic positivity and trite “healing journey” messaging and focuses instead on developing the capacity “to hold the brutal and the beautiful facts of life in the same palm.”

If you’re going through a difficult transition, looking to rekindle your creative spark, or just wanting to explore your inner life a little more, there’s probably something in this book for you.

Captives
A psychological mystery that explores the aftermath of a brutal abduction and the secrets that haunt the survivors.

Three years ago, Samantha Gilchrist and her friends Amanda, Kaylee and Maria forged an unbreakable bond when they survived a brutal kidnapping in Kandahar. Sam wrote a best-selling memoir about their ordeal and moved on to a great new career as a journalist and a happy relationship with Dave, a handsome intelligence officer she met in Afghanistan. Still, she can’t help wondering about the reasons behind their capture.

On their way to Maria’s remote Gatineau cottage to commemorate the anniversary of their escape and rescue, Sam and Kaylee hear news reports about a missing Afghan diplomat. Then, they think they see Ali, their former interpreter and the mastermind behind the hostage-taking, who was supposed to have died during their rescue. When Amanda’s lifeless body is found the next morning, the friends’ suspicions lead them down a dangerous path that uncovers dark secrets and hidden motives.

The narrative alternates between the present day and the version of events presented in Sam’s memoir, as she and her friends struggle with their grief over the loss of Amanda and lingering trauma and jealousy over their differing fortunes in the aftermath of the kidnapping. As tensions rise and secrets are revealed, Sam starts to question everything she thought she knew about her friends, her lover, and herself, not just in the past, but in the here and now. 

Full of suspense, complex characters, and unexpected twists, Captives will cause fans of mystery and psychological thrillers to make irresponsible decisions about their sleep. 

Learn more