Her spare prose a mute rebuke to the anecdotal loquaciousness of many self-help books on the spiritual life, Silf aims to help her readers craft thoughtful decisions in a world in which options seem endless and decisions pressing. Stringing her sentences out like scavenger hunt clues in a white landscape, the British author of The Gift of Prayer
, Wayfaring
and other explorations of spirituality divides her book into five sections on such topics as how to figure out which choices are truly necessary, how to choose with integrity and how to follow up on a decision once made. The slim book is peppered with practical advice, as when Silf advises her readers to avoid the "if-onlys" "what-ifs" and "might-have beens" that often get in the way of decision making. In a particularly helpful segment, Silf includes several discernment tests readers can use to predict the potential consequences of a decision. Some of her longtime fans may be frustrated by the format, lack of illustrations and dearth of overtly Christian content, but they will not be surprised by her commitment to decision making that is careful, forward looking and informed by a sense of responsibility to oneself and to the world. (Apr.)
