By Julie Leibrich.  Published by Otago University Press Dunedin, 2015. Reviewed by Mary Thorne 

From first acquaintance Sanctuary: The Discovery of Wonder is an appealing book. Julie Leibrich’s own watercolour on the cover, depicting a patchwork of earthy colours and heart-warming words, the use of photographs and the colour-coded inclusion of the author’s poetry and journal entries all contribute to the beauty of this book, and beauty is a characteristic of sanctuary.

In a society in which depression and stress are so widespread, this book offers a deep and authentic exploration of the need for sanctuary, what comprises sanctuary, and how to safeguard it and treasure it. It is a wise and insightful contemplation in which the author shares her own life experience as a poet, writer, former research psychologist and one of New Zealand’s first Mental Health Commissioners. Julie Leibrich also speaks frankly of her own journey through mental illness and her search for wholeness, wellness and meaning.

Theological voices from the world’s great faith traditions and writings from literature and philosophy are woven together with the thoughts of family, friends and acquaintances to help us grasp the dimensions of this idea of sanctuary; different for each person but ultimately a sense of “a coming home”, “a place to go and a place from which to emerge”, a place within.

Leibrich’s deep consciousness of seasons, hemispheres, tides, light and darkness, and the power they exert over our thinking and her appreciation of the part poetry, art, music, dance, and even mathematics can play in creating sanctuary, ensure that this is no lightweight, feel-good work. Some of the pondering and refining of Leibrich’s writing was carried out at the Southern Star Monastery in Kopua where the monastic rhythms of community prayer contributed another layer to the enigma of sanctuary.

Sanctuary: The Discovery of Wonder was a long time in the writing and it has the richness of a wide variety of ingredients percolated for a lengthy period to produce something very satisfying. Such is the artistry of this book that the very aspects of sanctuary we consider; solitude, silence, simplicity, slowness and stillness, are words that sound like gentle waves on a beach or a baby being hushed.

This book is a wonderful companion for anyone who hungers, dreams, seeks, doubts or becomes exhausted. I thank Julie Leibrich for it.

Published in Tui Motu InterIslands Magazine. July 2015.