On the Edge by Edward St. Aubyn

Published in Great Britain in 1998; published by Picador on October 14, 2014

On the Edge satirizes self-absorbed gurus who try to save the world by attending conferences where they can praise each other, people who mistake shallow thought for mindfulness, vision quests, Wicca, crystals, tantric sex, and pretty much all things associated with the marketing of New Age lifestyles. Edward St. Aubyn develops an appealing ensemble cast but doesn't do as much with the characters as I had expected.

Wealthy Brooke pays for New Age teacher Adam's San Francisco apartment and helps finance the book Kenneth is writing on a philosophy of his own invention called Streamism. Jason is a Brit also wants to start a world religion but not before he starts a successful rock band ... a project that, at age 33, seems unlikely. Angela has no boyfriend and thinks a tantric workshop would be a logical place to find one. Stan and (particularly) Karen Klotwitz are old-aged New Agers who, having retired to Santa Fe, are in California for the trantric workshop. Crystal and Jean-Paul do psychedelics in a canyon, ponder madness and mantras, and babble about language and culture. Peter has traveled from England to American to participate in the New Age scene because he wants a German woman named Sabine to believe the universe has brought them together again ... if only the universe will allow him to find her.

The plot, to the extent that one exists, brings the characters together as they explore their inner and outer selves. The meandering story has no discernable purpose beyond poking fun. Humor is an end in itself but it is difficult to sustain a one-note tune. While Edward St. Aubyn almost pulls it off, some lulls in the story felt like padding rather than character or plot development. My attention wandered during some of the lectures given by workshop teachers. The ending is also a bit abrupt.

Still, many books make me smile or chuckle but not many make me laugh. On the Edge provoked frequent laughter. Yes, some of its satirical targets are easy bull's-eyes, like the superficial pap that New Age workshop providers package and sell as profound thought. Yet even obvious humor can be funny if the humor is sufficiently witty. On the Edge is steeped in wit.

St. Aubyn's book is also filled with striking sentences. An example (the reference is to a woman's history with New Age workshops and gurus): "Again and again Crystal saw her [mother] set out with fawn-like credulity, only to end up stalking disappointment like a tigress, bringing it down expertly and living off it for days; ferocious, possessive, alone, while it putrefied beside her." The substance of On the Edge does not match the quality of the prose, but the prose -- and the laughs -- make the novel worthwhile.

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