Book title: Eat, Pray, Love
ISBN: 9780143138412
Author: Elizabeth Gilbert
Publisher: Penguin Group
Publication year: 2006
“I think about the woman I have become lately, about the life I am now living, and about how much I always wanted to be this person and live this life, liberated from the farce of pretending to be someone other than myself.” – Elizabeth Gilbert
I must admit I have read Elizabeth Gilbert’s ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ a few times, and each time, the book offers a fresh perspective on how it resonates with me as a reader, as the author relates her journey to heal, process her grief, and make sense of her desires after a painful divorce and crushing depression.
Gilbert’s memoir gives readers insight into how she took charge of her happiness as she set out on a year-long journey through Italy, India, and Indonesia, determined to rediscover herself.
Her candid storytelling and willingness to admit her vulnerabilities as a woman, life partner, and individual in her early thirties also led to ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ being made into an American biographical romantic drama film starring Hollywood actress, Julia Roberts, as Elizabeth Gilbert.
One of the movie’s filming locations was in Indonesia, and during a visit to Bali in 2018, I made it a point to visit the little chalet set amidst lush paddy fields and coconut trees in Ubud.
Alas, I did not meet Ketut Liyer, the Balinese healer who played a significant role in Gilbert’s spiritual and personal exploration, but I was, nonetheless, immersed in the positive energy of the place.
As a reader, Gilbert’s sojourn to Indonesia is quite relatable from a cultural aspect, as she seeks advice from Ketut, who tells her to embrace love without fear.
In India, she delves into the ashram experience and the power of prayer, asking for grace and enlightenment – that when the karma of a relationship is done, only love remains.
During her soul-searching, she concedes that depression has confiscated her identity, and loneliness starts interrogating her: why can’t she keep a relationship going, and why did she ruin her marriage to David, her ex-husband?
During her travels to Italy, Gilbert also discovers the joy of Italian cuisine, immerses herself in the local culture, and even hires an Italian tutor to teach her the language.
In the concluding chapter, she contemplates the woman she has recently become, having struck a balance between worldly enjoyment and divine transcendence.
Readers find her liberated from the farce of pretending to be someone other than herself – and happy, dozing on a small Indonesian fishing boat with Felipe.
She had met her future husband, the Brazilian Felipe, in Bali – but that’s another story.
