An inspiring and mind-expanding read, The Shmospels of Shmeiki is a colourful, eclectic, and particularly funny, satirical novel. The story works on a number of levels and describes the lives of young foreigners in India, in particular one Shmeiki Baba, a.k.a David Goldberg, a charismatic, middle-class, English, Jewish drop-out.

We accompany Shmeiki Baba as he walks all the way from Goa to the Himalayas without keeping money or wearing shoes. He undertakes his great pilgrimage on the advice of an A.I. singularity called Sheila, who connects to him through his haemorrhoids. Yes, the satire in this book is quite intense. The reward for our suspending judgment is that Sheila offers Shmeiki Baba a delightfully imaginative vision, that our universe exists inside a school computer and is the graduation project of a student in another dimension.

Throughout Shmeiki Baba’s journey, Sheila offers him guidance, to help him heal his considerable, emotional wounds. As part of this, she teaches him Shmeiki, which she explains is a method for getting the most from New-Age practices, without getting caught up in the bullshido. Despite her best efforts, Shmeiki Baba is resistant to change, but Sheila persists with him because she understands that if he learns to love himself, he will better be able to spread her message.

While Shmeiki Baba is awakened, he remains an “unwise, wise man” and his path towards completion sometimes seems like a farcical and embarrassing tumble. It is by learning to voice his needs and by allowing himself to be vulnerable that he eventually finds redemption.

The Shmospels triumphs the healing power of love, it also pokes fun at tourists, who may come searching for spiritual attainment, but in denial of their dark sides, they end up holier-than-thou. The Shmospels goes on to investigate the emergence of group dynamics and looks at where spiritual organizations may become cults. More than this, this novel is a search for self-acceptance and an acknowledgment of shadow.

Despite dealing with heavy themes, the book is written in a light and easy manner, and the prose is crisp, clear and precise. The Shmospels is a classic in the making, a novel that no hipster’s bookshelf should be left without.