The Veil Between Two Worlds: A Memoir of Silence, Loss, and Finding Home

(Paperback)

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Christina Vo has always struggled with the concept of home. The daughter of an emotionally distant father and a mother who died when she was just fourteen, she continues to grapple with that legacy of loss and her constant quest to, as a fortysomething, find a reconciliation with the shape her life has taken. In January 2021, feeling a call to be closer to the land, she decides to leave San Franciscothis time permanently, she hopesand set off on a road trip with one of her closest friends, David.

Christina and David begin their journey with an ayahuasca ceremony in Santa Barbara, then continue on to Ojai and ultimately Santa Fetwo magical lands that serve as deep portals for healing. Throughout their travels, Christina reflects on the recent and distant past: her relationships, her past experiences in Santa Barbara and Ojai (where she stayed for nine months around her fortieth birthday, two years ago) and her evolving understanding of her relationship with her parents. All the while, she ponders how the past has shaped her current identity as a single, childless, and motherless woman in her forties. Within the context of intimate friendship, she discovers how thin the veil between worlds can be, and gradually comes to realize that her mothers spirit has accompanied her since day one of her journey.

Deeply reflective and ultimately joyful, Vos memoir takes us on a journey between two worldsthe physical and the spiritualthat eventually brings her to a newfound understanding of how to deepen connections with others, as well as to a place of peace and home within herself.

Reviews

The Veil Between Two Worldsis written with grace, insight, and deep honesty. With beautiful writing, the author courageously tells the story of a Vietnamese American who is searching for spiritual peace, revelations, and life in a new land.
Barbara Rose Brooker, author ofNight SongsandThe Viagra Diaries

Christina VosThe Veil Between Two Worldsbeautifully conveys her midlife spiritual journey to come to terms with her grief and intergenerational wounds, and to reckon with how they've impacted her patterns of vulnerability and intimacy. With engaging and self-reflective candor, Vos spiritual travel memoir shows us the slow yet conscious ways that we can bridge the gap between our default patterns and our deeper awareness. Vo embraces the guidance of friendships, Mother Earth, and sacred mirrors on her path towards deeper reckoning and healing.
Anne Liu Kellor, author ofHeart Radical: A Search for Language, Love, and Belonging

Whip-smart and insightful, this memoir of a spiritual journey felt supremely satisfying to read. This quietly moving story flows through an asynchronous exploration of Vos restless life of wandering, traveling and searching for love. The narrative is propelled by her astute observations of people and environments, and ultimately through the steadiness of listening to her own soul. I loved the feminine wisdom in this booksavored its pages like a delicious and soothing cup of hot tea.
Elise Marie Collins, author ofSuper Ager: You Can Look Younger, Have More Energy, a Better Memory, and Live a Long and Healthy Life

Deeply cerebral and enthralling. Ms. Vo writes with introspection and keen reflections of her spiritual and emotional journey to find home and a sense of self.
Amy Le, author ofSnow in Saigon

The Veil Between Two Worldsleaves you beyond satisfied, in both worlds. There is something to be said for following ones own authentic path so that you can arrive in a place that is specifically for you.Christina Vo takes us on a successful truth-telling journey that sometimes feels frightening, and yet is gloriously riveting.
Saeeda Hafiz, author ofThe Healing: One Womans Journey from Poverty to Inner Riches

Author Bio

Christina Vo is a writer who previously worked for international organizations in Vietnam and Switzerland and also ran a floral design business in San Francisco. The Veil Between Two Worlds is her first book. Vo currently resides in Santa Fe, New Mexico.