Book Description

“The Sphere” - is a novel by Corneel Booysen. The book describes the physical, emotional and spiritual journey of a character named Victor that relocates to a foreign country with his family. While the book initially describes the journey from a physical perspective and occasionally dwells on the emotional aspects associated with relocation, it quickly turns into a deeper spiritual and emotional journey as the family joins an organization called the Sphere. At first the family is overjoyed as they are immersed in a friendly and loving community. For a period they experience a deep sense of belonging and revel in their perceived personal growth, but several troublesome incidents and inconsistencies in the organization eventually leads to a growing feeling of cognitive dissonance. Attempts to find answers lead Victor down a path of disillusion, rejection and ultimately isolation as he unearths the real motivations of the organization he once held so dear. At times the style of the narrative represents a literary abstract painting as the author wields the colors of the bizarre and the brush of symbolism to illustrate spiritual character progression that is perched on a canvas of evolving circumstances. Ultimately the book puts the reader into the same position as the main character - where every person is challenged with the same deep existential and spiritual questions regarding faith and organized religion.