In Lexi Freiman’s Books, It’s So Easy to Be Wrong

Lexi Freiman’s first novel didn’t change her life the way she thought it might. So when she heard about a commune in Greece that taught an unconventional style of meditation, she decided to go. She and a friend arrived to find a grove that was dotted with fig and olive trees but not at all picturesque. People slept in huts or tents and sometimes left the curtain open when they showered. Cats roamed all around. On most days, Freiman woke up early for the 5 a.m. meditation, at which participants jumped up and down and screamed cathartically, then sat in silence and let the thoughts pass by. Breakfast was served in an open-air dining room swarmed by bees. In the afternoons, Freiman would write in a café down by the beach.