Lynn Gray

Geomancy Lynn Gray

Geomancy tells the story of a man and a woman who set out to drive from the East Coast to the West Coast with the intention of ending their relationship when they arrive. They pick up a male hitchhiker on the way. Their car breaks down on the desert in Nevada, and the trio begin working at a borax mine. Below the borax mine is an opal mine and below that an archeological dig. These rather odd circumstances reveal a more obvious symbolism-a transition from horizontal to vertical movement-and this, in the construct of the book, explores the relationship between evolution, in a general, non-scientific sense, and revelation, in a general, non-religious sense. That is to say, the novel deals with the interplay between the nature of an individual's experience and how this determines, to a great extent, the recognitions that one makes. Interwoven with the narrative are vignettes which move from being specifically and literally related to the ongoing plot to informing it on a more abstract level. David Israel gave this synopsis of his impression of the book: "The novel is most immediately notable for its distinctive avant-garde style, its humor, and its phantasmagoric mode of development. It is a narrative exploration touching upon realms of psychology and myth, delving into questions of love and purpose, and passing through phases of confusion and estrangement, with a central scenario in which glimmerings of wisdom inkle (sic)." More succinctly, another reader called it a "metaphysical travelogue."