Where is The Mind by Rex Holdren

A deeply introspective psychological thriller and a work of fiction with a religious undertone which was set in Pickerington, Ohio. It centers on Rex as it takes the readers on a voyage through the last ten years he lived as the only man on earth.

It is a rather quirky and unconventional hypothetical story of 304 pages written by Rex Holdren. It features a 65 year old Rex, who after having a fall in his house and wishing everyone would leave him alone, found himself right in the middle of what he dubbed "the great disappearance". He woke up to find himself all alone in the world. Facing his reality, he had to survive all alone, he devised means through which he could survive the various seasons. He had a desperate need for human companionship and found some solace in mannequins, the voices in his head, a video recorder and his journal, but at the very bottom of it all, he missed his family the most. He had a major question he asked God, why was he left behind and all alone? The answer to that is probably within the pages of the book.

Where is The Mind is an engaging, and deeply moving story with a plot that uses flashbacks to draw the reader into the main story and a cliffhanger ending to make them ask what happens next. The plot is original and sustained even though it got somewhat confusing at some point. A clean language was used to convey the message. While it is mostly ponderous, it also uses pathos as its mode of persuasion as it appeals to the reader's emotion. The story is spellbindingly fast, pulling the readers along but it dipped somewhere around the middle when it looked like it dragged on unnecessarily, although it picked up pace easily. It is both plot and character driven. The tone is mixed as it goes back and forth between positive and negative emotional charges. The characters were majorly two-dimensional even though the protagonist was well developed. They are distinct too. The author used a stream of consciousness as its narrative mode as it helps to bare the inner conflict and experiences of the protagonist. The title has a limited semblance of the story.

The themes are quite deep and meaningful, relevant to life. They are centered around the beauty of simplicity, the emptiness of attaining false dreams, valuing family and friends, isolation and loneliness. I like the cogent messages passed along by the author, the philosophical quotes, and the selfless nature of the themes. It teaches that it is better to be kind and courteous, nothing can replace family relationships, and it is better to build bridges than to build walls. I like his resourcefulness and creativity.

However, I sometimes wondered at the whole point of the story although this does not in any way diminish the richness of the themes. It sometimes got confusing. It is mostly melancholic which tends to draw out the same from the reader. The cliffhanger got me but I recovered quickly.

Giving the uniqueness and quality of the book, I therefore rate it 4 out of 4 stars. It is a book that teaches about the difference between needs and wants and how this can help people to live a quality and full life. I recommend it to everyone, especially people who value material things above family as this would help them in the re-evaluation of their priorities.