Chasing Through the Dreamtime by Barbara LandMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
This easy to read novel is very well written with plenty of believable dialogue for Kate, Charlie and Tina, the main characters, though I found some of Aidan’s appearances a little wooden and unreal. The beginning of this curious tale of metaphysical and spiritual events took too long to get going for this reader. As a trained physicist I wanted to be convinced that such things could have any credibility but too much time was taken over daily details, like making breakfast and gardening etc. However, I did wonder how there was time to look after the farm animals and write a novel with all that seemed to be happening to Kate and Aidan.
The novel that Kate feels compelled to write is about her long deceased aunt, and the voice that tells her to write the book appears to come to her through “dreamtime”. Chasing Through the Dreamtime is a tale about Kate’s discovery of disturbing family secrets and about her new acquaintances persuading her to “understand” reincarnation, together with various ideologies and beliefs that conflict with Kate’s Catholic upbringing. There is much discussion throughout Barbara Land’s book and story about metaphysics, reincarnation and philosophical comparisons with religion and Kate’s Catholicism. What came across as rather strange to me was how her husband, Aidan, and daughter, Charlie, did not think that communication with the dead was just a bit weird and maybe merited a visit to a psychiatrist rather than attend a séance.
I very definitely got the impression that I was being educated, so at times it did feel that the author wrote the book in order to teach the reader about metaphysics etc. Having taught science and technology for many years made me feel rather impatient about this since my very pragmatic approach to things will never allow such thoughts to enter my thinking. Narrow it may be but those philosophical thoughts were carefully considered and rejected many years ago. Occasionally I found the book interesting and it had a decent pace, particularly with events towards the end.
But, in fairness to the author, for anyone who is curious about such concepts as spirituality and wants to find out more, the book seems to be extremely efficient in its exposition of them. I’m sure that “believers” would find this book absorbing and full of interest. Unfortunately, it was just not for me.
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