Better to Have Gone: Love, Death, and the Quest for Utopia in Auroville
- Downloads：2185
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-07-31 06:52:19
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Akash Kapur
- ISBN：1501132512
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
A spellbinding story about love， faith， the search for utopia—and the often devastating cost of idealism。
It’s the late 1960s， and two lovers converge on an arid patch of earth in South India。 John Walker is the handsome scion of a powerful East Coast American family。 Diane Maes is a beautiful hippie from Belgium。 They have come to build a new world—Auroville， an international utopian community for thousands of people。 Their faith is strong， the future bright。
So how do John and Diane end up dying two decades later， on the same day， on a cracked concrete floor in a thatch hut by a remote canyon？ This is the mystery Akash Kapur sets out to solve in Better to Have Gone， and it carries deep personal resonance: Diane and John were the parents of Akash’s wife， Auralice。 Akash and Auralice grew up in Auroville; like the rest of their community， they never really understood those deaths。
In 2004， Akash and Auralice return to Auroville from New York， where they have been living with John’s family。 As they reestablish themselves， along with their two sons， in the community， they must confront the ghosts of those distant deaths。 Slowly， they come to understand how the tragic individual fates of John and Diane intersected with the collective history of their town。
Better to Have Gone is a book about the human cost of our age-old quest for a more perfect world。 It probes the underexplored yet universal idea of utopia， and it portrays in vivid detail the daily life of one utopian community。 Richly atmospheric and filled with remarkable characters， spread across time and continents， this is narrative writing of the highest order—a heartbreaking， unforgettable story。
It’s the late 1960s， and two lovers converge on an arid patch of earth in South India。 John Walker is the handsome scion of a powerful East Coast American family。 Diane Maes is a beautiful hippie from Belgium。 They have come to build a new world—Auroville， an international utopian community for thousands of people。 Their faith is strong， the future bright。
So how do John and Diane end up dying two decades later， on the same day， on a cracked concrete floor in a thatch hut by a remote canyon？ This is the mystery Akash Kapur sets out to solve in Better to Have Gone， and it carries deep personal resonance: Diane and John were the parents of Akash’s wife， Auralice。 Akash and Auralice grew up in Auroville; like the rest of their community， they never really understood those deaths。
In 2004， Akash and Auralice return to Auroville from New York， where they have been living with John’s family。 As they reestablish themselves， along with their two sons， in the community， they must confront the ghosts of those distant deaths。 Slowly， they come to understand how the tragic individual fates of John and Diane intersected with the collective history of their town。
Better to Have Gone is a book about the human cost of our age-old quest for a more perfect world。 It probes the underexplored yet universal idea of utopia， and it portrays in vivid detail the daily life of one utopian community。 Richly atmospheric and filled with remarkable characters， spread across time and continents， this is narrative writing of the highest order—a heartbreaking， unforgettable story。
Reviews
Mia
，
I have always been interested in learning about different communities and cult type topics。 The Farm and Auroville have been ones that I have been intrigued by， so i was super excited to read this。 I don't know why it fascinates me to see how things work in these places。 It seems so much goes wrong even when intending for the exact opposite。。 I have always been interested in learning about different communities and cult type topics。 The Farm and Auroville have been ones that I have been intrigued by， so i was super excited to read this。 I don't know why it fascinates me to see how things work in these places。 It seems so much goes wrong even when intending for the exact opposite。。 。。。more
Carla
，
I think I’m glad I read this but not sure。 I had a difficult time keeping track of people in the first sections of the book。 They mystery of the life and death of John and Diane compelled me to finish it but also to understand Akash and Auroalice in their current lives。 Politics isn’t a word used but that’s really a thread throughout the book - individuals and their own agendas。 The contrast between John’s two worlds was fascinating。
Alexis
，
This is something of a history， something of a memoir。 Kapur revisits the history of the utopian community， Auroville， in which he and his wife grew up--and where her mother and stepfather died。 There's a lot of what you expect from an intentional community: infighting， dogma。 But Kapur's personal connection to the events， and the specific personal narrative of Auralice's parents John and Diane， make this deeper and more affecting。 Akash and Auralice ultimately returned to live in Auroville， and This is something of a history， something of a memoir。 Kapur revisits the history of the utopian community， Auroville， in which he and his wife grew up--and where her mother and stepfather died。 There's a lot of what you expect from an intentional community: infighting， dogma。 But Kapur's personal connection to the events， and the specific personal narrative of Auralice's parents John and Diane， make this deeper and more affecting。 Akash and Auralice ultimately returned to live in Auroville， and his relationship with the place is loving but complicated。 Because you know from the beginning that it ends in tragedy， it feels a little bit like a slow spiral to the inevitable--but is no less interesting or gripping for that。Stylistically my only quibble is with his use of the present tense throughout; it's a little jarring。 。。。more
Umar Lee
，
Decently written。 Not a very interesting subject matter。 It must really suck to be white and wealthy and have a saviors mentality。 Pro-tip: all effective cults and communes will seek to monopolize sex and money so you'd be better off developing a gamblers habit and joining a swingers club。 There has never been and will never be utopia on this Earth and as this book once again illustrates the pursuit of such more closely resembles the creation of Hell。 Decently written。 Not a very interesting subject matter。 It must really suck to be white and wealthy and have a saviors mentality。 Pro-tip: all effective cults and communes will seek to monopolize sex and money so you'd be better off developing a gamblers habit and joining a swingers club。 There has never been and will never be utopia on this Earth and as this book once again illustrates the pursuit of such more closely resembles the creation of Hell。 。。。more
Bookreporter。com Biography & Memoir
，
An eerie mystery wrapped in Eastern mysticism is at the heart of this intriguing examination by journalist Akash Kapur as he explores， with his wife Auralice， the deaths of her parents in a little hut in India in 1986。John Walker， heir to prestige and power， rejects the lifestyle of his father， the director of Washington’s National Gallery of Art。 Belgium-born Diane Maes becomes a rebel after the death of her father， lands in reform school， befriends a hippie and winds up in India， where she wil An eerie mystery wrapped in Eastern mysticism is at the heart of this intriguing examination by journalist Akash Kapur as he explores， with his wife Auralice， the deaths of her parents in a little hut in India in 1986。John Walker， heir to prestige and power， rejects the lifestyle of his father， the director of Washington’s National Gallery of Art。 Belgium-born Diane Maes becomes a rebel after the death of her father， lands in reform school， befriends a hippie and winds up in India， where she will meet John， who is on a quest of his own。 Both become ardent members of the experimental community Auroville， which was founded on principles espoused by Swami Sri Aurobindo and carried forward by his chief follower， a Frenchwoman known as the Mother。Bernard， a young Frenchman involved in the resistance against the Nazis， survives brutal torture and confinement to find his sense of true release when he meets the Mother， who renames him: he becomes Satprem， “the one who loves truly，” and plays a crucial role in the gradual development of Auroville…and， possibly， in the shadowy deaths of Auralice’s parents when she was a young teenager。Auralice and her husband return to the ashram-like community in 2004 to resolve that mystery and the long-suppressed feelings associated with it。 Kapur， who also grew up in Auroville， finds an old folder of John’s letters and papers that provide some clues。 But questions remain。 Could John’s illness have been prevented or cured if he had been less stubbornly dedicated to certain spiritual principles？ Did words from Satprem influence Diane’s fateful decision to join her departed spouse and leave Auralice an orphan？Investigating the sequence of those extraordinary few hours in 1986 in Auroville has not proven easy， but the author and his wife have recommitted themselves to this idealistic communal setting and are raising their two children there。 Kapur builds his story in a rich， person-centered chronology that includes the ideals and motivations of the 1960s hippie movement and its connection to principles and practices of Eastern religion and philosophy。 It’s a tangled web， and pulling apart each skein combines Kapur’s deft penmanship and sharp observational powers with a devotion to his spouse， who has aided him at each step， and an intrinsic sense of confidence in the concepts that made Auroville a reality and continue to guide its destiny。BETTER TO HAVE GONE is both emotionally nourishing and intellectually provoking。 Kapur suggests that the questions left unanswered are part of a greater， universal mystery that we all live within。Reviewed by Barbara Bamberger Scott 。。。more
Lisa of Troy
，
Better to Have Gone is a non-fiction book about a village in India called Auroville。 In 1968， the village was founded， and it was a barren land where people from around the world gathered in hopes to create a better society。 The Aurovilians are a hard working people with incredible grit and determination。 Working together and through much sacrifice， they transform the barren， parched earth into a flourishing forest complete with new animal wildlife。 The members work hard each day in the belief t Better to Have Gone is a non-fiction book about a village in India called Auroville。 In 1968， the village was founded， and it was a barren land where people from around the world gathered in hopes to create a better society。 The Aurovilians are a hard working people with incredible grit and determination。 Working together and through much sacrifice， they transform the barren， parched earth into a flourishing forest complete with new animal wildlife。 The members work hard each day in the belief that they are making the world a better place and dig deep spiritually through the practice of yoga。 However， all utopians are not perfect。 Two members of the community end up dead。 What led up to their deaths？ This book was extremely interesting especially as a non-fiction work which is bound by a certain set of facts。 It was like Dune， Jonestown， and a mystery all rolled into one！ It was written in a way which was really intriguing， and I wanted to know more。 It also spoke about the environment and working for a cause greater than oneself。 Especially in these turbulent times， it is easy to imagine how people would be attracted to a quest for deeper meaning and making a real difference in the world。 Previously， I had never heard about Auroville so this work was truly unique。 It is incredible how so much has been accomplished in terms of enhancing the environment as well as constructing the village。 The author was very articulate， and it was clear that he spent a great deal of time researching this book。 He also had a number of photographs in the book as well which were a real delight。 There were also some great quotes that I would love to share upon final publication。Overall， this is an amazing non-fiction book that you should read especially if you love Dune and/or Jonestown。*Thank you， NetGalley， for a free copy of this book in exchange for my fair and honest opinion。 。。。more
Sherry Brown
，
I had not read about Utopian preaching and the communities of which this book shares。 It was a very very interesting book to read！！！ It was definitely a page turner for me！I’m glad I won this from Goodreads！
Jk
，
I received a free advance reader's edition copy of this book via the Goodreads Giveaways program and would like to thank anyone who had a hand in that！I was drawn to this book because I have always found utopian communities and the people who create them fascinating。 I had never heard of Auroville before and really enjoyed learning about it。 The author presents the history of Auroville from the very beginning， highlighting the struggles and the evolution of the community as the backdrop of the t I received a free advance reader's edition copy of this book via the Goodreads Giveaways program and would like to thank anyone who had a hand in that！I was drawn to this book because I have always found utopian communities and the people who create them fascinating。 I had never heard of Auroville before and really enjoyed learning about it。 The author presents the history of Auroville from the very beginning， highlighting the struggles and the evolution of the community as the backdrop of the tragic personal story that is the beating heart of the book。 Engaging and meticulously researched！ 。。。more
Carl Leibniz
，
Very well written about how utopia is a perfect place that does not exist！
Janilyn Kocher
，