Zor [Paperback]

It was a dwarf. An honest to goodness little people dwarf right in the middle of the Public Garden near the Duck Pond. John Brewster was never expecting to see anyone like that in Boston, but he'd be seeing much more of Zor once they were introduced to one another. In the meantime, Zor was nonchalantly dealing with some teenage boys who decided that tormenting him would be the game of the day, but they weren't counting on him standing his ground. John was amazed at the sight and it was an eye opener when Zor later told him he'd simply said "no thank you" to their gift of "negative ch'i." They say good things come in little packages, but this package would eventually destroy his life. Utterly and totally whack his trust fund rear end out of the ballpark starting with one simple line: "I am Zor."

John was like every other baby boomer. Grow up, go to college, get roomie named, Ed, get ceramic gorilla bong (Kong), meet future wife, Mary, join up with the Peace Corps, forget about the Peace Corps, join family business, have two kids, and settle into a regular boring life. Gone were the days of "Nam and Nixon, Nixon and Nam," protests, idealism, and scoring weed. It was time to grow up and find a place like Jake's, a bar where he could find solace in a glass. John thought to himself, "Many people want to go to a bar where they know your name; I just want to go where they know my drink." Scotch. (p. 39) Zor, who turned out to be brilliant (and claimed he was God), was the one who knew his name and somehow knew everything about him and everything else for that matter.

The little guy began to tell John the secrets of the universe starting with a few simplistic philosophical thoughts to ponder like "Concentration of life's negatives debilitates the soul. Identify the cause of the negative energy and rid it from your life." (p. 47) Before he could blink an eye, Zor was talking about everything from how to turn his wife on, to particle physics and entanglement. Spooky. It was turning into a "Haitian Horror Show," but John was starting to somehow listen and absorb some of his whacky tenets. There was this land that Uncle Ernie wanted to dump from the portfolio from the Brewster Capital trust. It was nothing but an albatross, but Ernie, whose blood was "80 proof," was five short of a six pack and not worth listening to. John could buy the stock for the land in a wash sale. Yeah ... then he could "feed, clothe and care for 200 orphaned boys" from Africa once the deal for Dream Farm was finalized. (p. 197). The "butterfly effect" had begun with the bend of an elbow. Was John totally insane? Had Zor's discussions about the philosophical implications of quantum physics turn his brain to mush? Was this little guy really going to destroy his life?

This is an amazing philosophical treatise from Zor, who knows that "any given moment" is the present. This was an unexpectedly fun and thought provoking book. The pages swirled with fascinating vignettes that sounded like they were emanating either from a self-help guru or quantum physicist who might have been bantering around thoughts on how we perceive (or not perceive as the case may be) reality. Zor himself summed up this book with one earth shattering statement, "The discovery is entanglement. At the very heart of quantum physics lies entanglement; a law that allows us to unite science, philosophy, and spirituality for the first time." (p. 223) The key to this book is to take your time, think, and absorb the material as you go. Fiction? Yes, but darn good fiction based on reality. If you want to know the secrets of the universe, simply travel with John and Zor for the adventure of a lifetime ... at any given moment!

A thinly plotted parable about the benefits of putting positive energy into the world, "Zor" is a quick and fascinating read. Structured as a series of debates with a mysterious Haitian dwarf named Zor (naturally), the story makes the case (in the most basic of terms) that happiness is its own reward for being at peace, for being content, and for accepting life's travails with a pure heart and spirit. Taking the simplest of notions, that of positive and negative energy, author J. B. ties their influence to the spiritual, psychological, and physical well being of an average Boston businessman and by proxy everyone else. The lessons imparted by "Zor" may be easy to grasp, and pretty familiar, but the presentation of the synergistic relationships inherent in the cosmos between doctrines that would seemingly be at odds is refreshingly original.

Money manager Jonathan Brewster stands in as an everyman. Successful, by all appearances, Brewster doesn't even realize he's dwelling in a holding pattern. When Zor enters the picture and challenges Brewster's happiness as being a construct preventing him from true enlightenment, Brewster is initially skeptical. But soon Brewster is channeling Zor's advice and reaping the rewards. But like most of us, Brewster's biggest obstacle is himself. To affect a real life change, Brewster must first understand the underlying motivations behind his actions. Taking steps because you think they are "good" isn't enough--you must be at peace with yourself and let all decisions be a natural by-product of that. Soon Brewster faces a crisis between what he thinks is "expected" and what "just is" that threatens to derail his entire existence.

"Zor" is more of an intellectual exercise that anything. The conversations between Zor and Brewster are certainly constructed events and not natural dialogue, but that's to be expected. J. B. lays out convincing arguments that get progressively more all-encompassing. Making an indentifiable link between philosophy, science, and religion is an ambitious goal as the principles of each don't exactly act in concert to most minds. But that link is made well. And whether or not "Zor" changes your perception of the universe, one thing is certain--it provides a fascinating read. At the most fundamental level, "Zor" is challenging you to think. And if it reinforces some solid life lessons along the way, who's going to complain? KGHarris, 12/10.

Monetary success not being a sure path to a feeling of well-being and personal happiness is a common theme in all forms of entertainment. An individual reaches middle age, looks around them and suddenly experiences an overwhelming feeling of dissatisfaction with their life. While the warning signs have been there for some time, one or more events trigger the powerful feelings.
Jonathan Brewster is a money manager that once had a plan to travel to Africa with a buddy as members of the Peace Corps. However, at the last minute he was convinced to stay in the United States and help his father manage an investment firm. Now he is in all but name the sole manager of the firm and is what he believes to be happily married. His ritual after work is to stop at a local bar and drink for an hour or two before heading home to his wife.
During one visit to the bar he meets a Haitian dwarf calling himself Zor and they begin an ongoing conversation where Zor questions Brewster's belief in the solidity of his life. The breadth of the conversations is wide, covering everything from quantum physics to the presence of God in the world. Most major religions are at least mentioned, generally to emphasize the similarities rather than the differences. Zor is not by any means a Haitian mystic or shaman, the best description is that he is man of wide, albeit superficial philosophical opinions. Zor's primary point is to constantly emphasize the presence of negative energy and how it must be reduced as much as possible in order for the maximum amount of good to be done.
As a consequence of his conversations with Zor, Brewster comes to understand some of the sources of his unease and he works to reconnect with his wife and make positive changes in the world. He succeeds, but not to the extent or with the consequences that he had hoped.
Reference is made to the classic book about searching for meaning, "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance." As a reader of that book, I recognized some of the similarities that the author of this book emulated. Although the plot has been used many times, the author of this one manages to do it reasonably well. Sometimes all it takes is a conversation with a person having a Socratic bent to cause us to look more deeply at ourselves and recognize what is ailing in our complex psyche. Those questions don't have to be deep to be penetrating.