Sex, Drugs, and Spiritual Enlightenment by Karuna Das- Review

Teddyrose@1

2 years ago

Sex, Drugs, and Spiritual Enlightenment (but mostly the first two) by Karuna Das

Publisher: DX Varos Publishing (March 28, 2023)
Category: General Fiction, Fictionalized Memoir
Tour Dates: April 4-21, 2023
ISBN: 978-1955065764
Available in Print and ebook, 280 pages

Description Sex, Drugs, and Spiritual Enlightenment by Karuna Das

On the cusp of turning eighteen, it’s time for Drew Lovell to become a man.

But deep within, Drew has questions—ones he doesn’t know how to phrase—about what that means and how to go about it.

During three intense stretches between 1985 and 1993, taking him into his mid-twenties, Drew undergoes a series of profound experiences—often wild, sometimes painful, and always revealing—that force him to rethink his current assumptions. Only after nearly dying from trying to conform to conventional models of masculinity does he begin to become the man he wants to be and not the one he thought the world required him to be. Still, he’s unable to live with full integrity until interaction with a pair of awakened humans inspires new awareness that helps him at long last embrace the truth of who he is.

My Thoughts Sex, Drugs, and Spiritual Enlightenment by Karuna Das

Teenager, Drew hangs out with his friend snorting coke. His friend then pays a girl to take Drew’s virginity but Drew wonders if that is all there is to it. A quick 1, 2, 3 and it’s done. He struggles to understand the real meaning of life. It can’t just be sitting around doing drugs, having sex, and writing. He aims to become a professional writer.

Drew later meets his favorite author and it is through that relationship as well as after he experiences a seizure, he has a kind of spiritual awakening and is able to explore what life is really about. It is also after having sex with many women, that he realizes that he is bisexual.

Karuna Dos calls ‘Sex, Drugs, and Spiritual Enlightenment’ a “fictionalized memoir”. He uses his experiences as a young man as a starting point and embellishes them. Mixing the two together make a heartbreaking yet, laugh out loud novel. His poetic prose is hypnotic and make the book near impossible to put down. I read it into the wee hours, only forcing myself to put it down at 3 am, However, I kept going over the book in my mind ad got very little sleep. The next night, I finished it, thinking I would get a better nights sleep. LOL! That didn’t happen. Drew is a very memorable character and will stay with me a long time to come. The book left me wondering how he is as a now middle aged man.

This book is a whirlwind and one that I highly recommend. I do think it only fair to warn you, that “Sex Drugs, and Spiritual Enlightenment is not appropriate for those who offend easily. As the title suggests, it is full of sex and profanity. However, I found it heartfelt, honest, and true to the human condition. It’s bound to become a cult classic!

I give it 5/5 stars!

About Karuna Das

Karuna Das is the pen and spirit name of Kyle Bostian. Born in Wisconsin, he grew up in Massachusetts and now resides in Pennsylvania, but he lives wherever he happens to be at that moment and feels at home everywhere in the universe. He holds a BA in English and an MFA in Playwriting. In addition to his dramatic writing, he’s published the sci-fi novel Kat’s Cradle as well as short fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. He and life partner Ti share their house with five wonderfully wacky cats.

Website: https://www.karunadaswriter.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KarunaDasWriter
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/karunadaswriter
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karunadaswriter/