Hints of an Unknown Reality

Sebastian Junger was in seemingly good health. For those who have read Junger’s books or are familiar with his work as a war reporter, this would only confirm one’s impressions: Junger has always been a man of action, interested in the heroic and adventurous. His breakthrough book, The Perfect Storm (made into the film with George Clooney), perfectly illustrates this point, as does his war reporting in Afghanistan, where he co-directed the award-winning documentary Restrepo. He is the kind of guy who needs to be in shape. Thus, Junger was surprised when a long undetected aneurysm in a pancreatic artery suddenly burst, nearly resulting in his death. His new book, In My Time of Dying, is an intense account of this experience and his consequent investigation into the possibility of an afterlife. It wrestles with the contradiction between the seeming randomness of the universe and the curious hints of illumination and order that attend one’s life.