When I'm Gone, Look for Me in the East

September 1, 2021

A young monk named Chuluun has been handed a daunting task: He must find the reincarnation of a legendary lama within the great sweep of Mongolia, trudging from the sere Gobi Desert to the ancient capital ruled by Chinggis Khan. Along the way, he seeks help from his identical twin, Mun, who was once seen as a reincarnation himself but has since abandoned the monastic life. They're not actually together in this quest, but they can hear each other's thoughts. From the author of the multi-best-booked We Ride Upon Sticks, an Alex Award winner.

Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2021
Barry (We Ride upon Sticks) returns with the uneven story of a novice Buddhist monk’s search for an enlightened teacher believed to be reincarnated. Chuluun, 23, hasn’t seen his twin brother Mun for more than a year, ever since Mun renounced his vows at the monastery where they grew up. But after he retains Mun as his driver, the brothers set out across the vastness of Mongolia to look for the child among the Reindeer People of the north, the eagle hunters of the Altai Mountains, and the herders of the Gobi Desert. Along the way, Chuluun struggles with his decision over his final vows and tries to reconnect with Mun. It’s complicated, as the brothers can read each other’s thoughts, and Chuluun keeps Mun’s reason for leaving the monastery a secret until the end. Barry drops in occasional Mongolian words without defining them, which immerses the reader into the setting, but can take some getting used to. The pacing of the quest, meanwhile, is inconsistent, with bits of action here and there (including a dramatic sandstorm) among the digressions on Buddhist philosophy, but Barry brings a great deal of empathy and nuance to the brothers’ attempts to reckon with their spirituality. It’s a mixed bag, but much of this will resonate. Agent: Jennifer Lyons, Jennifer Lyons Literary.

Starred review from December 1, 2021
Chulun, a Buddhist monk, nearly loses his life when buried alive in the Gobi Desert by a swirling sandstorm, only to be rescued by his identical twin, Mun, who has abandoned the faith to which Chulun has dedicated himself. But readers reach this pivotal episode only after journeying many miles with Chulun, as he, with Mun's assistance, seeks to find in Mongolia's stark terrain a tulka--the reincarnation of an enlightened teacher who can guide Buddhists through a perplexing time. Evincing the same dazzling talents that won high critical praise for We Ride upon Sticks (2020), Barry vastly expands readers' horizons, both geographical and metaphysical, as she chronicles Chulun's trials in performing his arduous spiritual task. Through Mun's eyes, we see Khentii's arid grasslands, Khousgal's lakeside forests; through his ears, we hear the enchanting music of Mongolia's morin khuur. But readers' most transformative experience comes by reflecting--through Chulun's thoughts, strangely tangled with Mun's--on the Four Noble Buddhist Truths and the Eight-Fold Path, the spiritual precepts the protagonist has learned from his grandfather, investing otherwise-vapid experiences with profound meaning. Though the narrative focuses on Mongolian Buddhism, readers learn how Buddhists everywhere have suffered as Chinese communists have persecuted the faith rooted in Tibet. An imaginative tour de force.

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Starred review from February 15, 2022
Twin brothers embark on a quest across Mongolia to find a reincarnated Buddhist teacher. Chuluun is a Buddhist monk preparing to take his final vows. But first, he's sent to help find the reincarnation of a great spiritual teacher called the One for Whom the Sky Never Darkens. Chuluun travels to the city of Ulaanbaatar and enlists his estranged twin brother, Mun, to drive the little group of searchers across Mongolia to speak to children who might potentially be the lost "Precious One." Mun's relationship with Chuluun is strained, as Mun has renounced his own vows and deserted the monks. Mun himself is a reincarnated Precious One, called the Redeemer Who Sounds the Conch in the Darkness, a role he found stifling. Mun and Chuluun can hear each other's thoughts and access each other's minds, an ability that complicates their thorny relationship, especially as it allows Mun to know that Chuluun is having his own doubts about continuing on as a monk. Barry is a poetic writer even in her fiction, and readers looking for a more straightforward story might be put off by the imagery-heavy narration. But others who tolerate a bit of confusion toward the beginning will be rewarded with elegiac passages on faith and doubt. "What I am always learning in my twenty-three years on earth: there is suffering. And sometimes at the end of it all a door opens. A hand appears on the surface of the water, reaches down to pull you up." A dreamlike and lyrical journey steeped in the tenets of Tibetan Buddhism.

COPYRIGHT(2022) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

April 2, 2022

Acclaimed novelist/poet Barry follows up her latest work of fiction, We Ride Upon Sticks, by transporting readers to a lush and windswept Mongolia. The novel opens as Chuluun, a Mongolian monk, reunites with his identical twin brother Mun in the busy capital of Ulaanbaatar. Mun was once a monk known as the "Redeemer Who Sounds the Conch in the Darkness" but has since renounced his vows owing to a familiarity with women, as his brother explains. Tasked with finding the reincarnation of a revered spiritual leader, they set off on a two-week journey with two companions. The rich narrative looks at Chuluun's life as a Mongolian monk while providing insights into the country's various cultures. While the depth and breadth of some of these passages can get a bit unwieldy, what shines here is the distinctive and enduring bond between the two brothers despite the different directions their lives have taken. VERDICT This probing personal portrait leads Barry to a larger story that will appeal especially to readers who appreciate being swept into richly realized landscapes and cultures.--Shirley Quan

Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.