Better to Have Gone: Love, Death, and the Quest for Utopia in Auroville
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-08-04 02:18:58
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Akash Kapur
- ISBN：B08LDVRWF8
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Summary
From Whiting Award winner Akash Kapur， a transfixing and deeply researched masterwork that blends the investigation into an unsolved family mystery with a fascinating portrait of Auroville—a Utopian community on the coast of southern India。
As a young boy， Akash Kapur moved with his family to Auroville， off the Bay of Bengal in India。 Founded in 1968 by a French woman known as “The Mother，” the town is a spiritual utopia， with no money， no government， no religion， no tall buildings or expressways， no news channels。 Built for 50，000 people， Auroville today has only about 2，500 permanent residents， and is one of the longest-lasting and largest intentional communities in the world。 It was here that Akash met the girl who would later become his wife， Auralice。 Both grew up in Auroville， and left during their teenage years， in pursuit of an American education。 Now， married， they are returning， and confronting the ghosts of their—especially Auralice’s—childhoods。
In 1986， both of Auralice’s parents died in Auroville under mysterious circumstances just 24 hours apart。 Her father， John Walker， grew up in an elite east coast family surrounded by the Kennedys， and Akash’s father was one of the founding directors of the National Art Gallery in Washington。 Auralice’s mother， Diane Maes， was a beautiful rebel from Belgium。 Full of dreams and idealism， they came to Auroville in the 1960s along with thousands of others。 Their subsequent deaths have always been shrouded in mystery， and now， as Akash and Auralice are trying to start their own family， they began unpacking reality from legend， and begin to understand the larger social and ideological forces that had driven John and Diane to their tragic ends。
Offering a fascinating glimpse into the sociology of utopia， Akash unravels the haunting mystery through a meticulous retelling of their lives， spread across time and continents， in a stunning blend of cultural history and memoir。 Richly atmospheric and filled with unforgettable characters， Better to Have Gone explores timeless questions about faith， idealism， spiritual exploration and conviction， and the violent extremism into which they so often descend。
As a young boy， Akash Kapur moved with his family to Auroville， off the Bay of Bengal in India。 Founded in 1968 by a French woman known as “The Mother，” the town is a spiritual utopia， with no money， no government， no religion， no tall buildings or expressways， no news channels。 Built for 50，000 people， Auroville today has only about 2，500 permanent residents， and is one of the longest-lasting and largest intentional communities in the world。 It was here that Akash met the girl who would later become his wife， Auralice。 Both grew up in Auroville， and left during their teenage years， in pursuit of an American education。 Now， married， they are returning， and confronting the ghosts of their—especially Auralice’s—childhoods。
In 1986， both of Auralice’s parents died in Auroville under mysterious circumstances just 24 hours apart。 Her father， John Walker， grew up in an elite east coast family surrounded by the Kennedys， and Akash’s father was one of the founding directors of the National Art Gallery in Washington。 Auralice’s mother， Diane Maes， was a beautiful rebel from Belgium。 Full of dreams and idealism， they came to Auroville in the 1960s along with thousands of others。 Their subsequent deaths have always been shrouded in mystery， and now， as Akash and Auralice are trying to start their own family， they began unpacking reality from legend， and begin to understand the larger social and ideological forces that had driven John and Diane to their tragic ends。
Offering a fascinating glimpse into the sociology of utopia， Akash unravels the haunting mystery through a meticulous retelling of their lives， spread across time and continents， in a stunning blend of cultural history and memoir。 Richly atmospheric and filled with unforgettable characters， Better to Have Gone explores timeless questions about faith， idealism， spiritual exploration and conviction， and the violent extremism into which they so often descend。