Maya by C.W. Huntington Jr.

Summary 
A stunning debut novel on sex, loss, and redemption.

It is 1975 and India is in turmoil. American Stanley Harrington arrives to both study Sanskrit philosophy and escape his failing marriage. When he finds himself witness to a violent accident, he begins to question his grip on reality.

Maya introduces us to an entertaining cast of hippies, expats, and Indians from all walks of life. From a hermit hiding in Himalayan jungle since the days of the British Raj, to an accountant at the Bank of India with a passion for Sanskrit poetry, to the last in a line of brahman scholars, Stanley’s path ultimately leads him to a Tibetan yogi, who enlists the American’s help in translating a mysterious ancient text.

Maya, literally “illusion,” is an extended reflection on the unraveling of identity. Filled with rich observations and arresting reflections, it mines the porous border between memory and fantasy.

Reactions
Not at all what I was expected while reading the summary… And let me tell you that's a great praise!

It's a wonderful journey through words beautifully written. The reader discovers India and its culture by following Stanley adventures.
The guy is lost and try to discover the meaning of life, love and who knows what... By going in a foreign country to become a scholar, meditating and review his life.

Believe me the summary or my review will not do justice to this book as you travel by asking yourself a lot of questions, thinking the guy is high or dreaming while in really you are hooked on the prose, the scenery and the Indian history, folklore and beauty.

In parallel of this story, I was reading Mahabharata, one of the two Sanskrit epics, and it has helped me with some references.

A book that really has picked my curiosity and offer me a way to escape and to think.
Great read!

Source
*Arc provided by Netgalley.
I received this book in exchange of a fair and honest review.