The Temple of Withering by Corinne Linatoc is a homecoming journey like no other. I can relate to the novel’s character Petros in the sense that I also do not have a permanent home. Having been displaced from my family and unaccepted by my own kin was painful. Like Petros, I had to fight for what I thought of as an idea of home. In the end, I learned that home is not a place, but a feeling. This novel taught me that the feeling of home is belonging.
Peace can be found even in the middle of a dark forest. As Petros walked along the dark forest alone, I also felt at peace in the mountains that I hiked. I am like Petros, I find a sense of calm even in uncertain places and circumstances. This novel has reminded me that while tomorrow is not promised, the present can still be appreciated for what it is. The rest of the journey can work itself out, perhaps with the help of some magic in between.
I also appreciated how death and mourning were tackled with dignity in this novel. As a book marketed for teens, the author has done an excellent job of showing that grief can become a beginning, rather than a dead end. The journey simply continues from there.
So if home is the feeling of belonging, then maybe the temple which defines the journey is one’s own self after all. This book is not just a trip across magical lands. It is also a process of finding oneself. And maybe after sufficient rest and a hot cocoa, I can be like Melanie and just plot my next journey. And who knows? Maybe we can also look forward to more works from the author.
The Temple of Withering by Corinne Linatoc is now available!