The Compass is one of those allegory books in line with The Alchemist, where we follow a male protagonist through his life journey. In this case, we travel with Jonathan, who is paralyzed with grief after his young daughter is killed in a car accident with his wife behind the wheel.

Blind with despair, Jonathan leaves his job, his wife, and his world, and takes a trek around the globe to find himself again. Along the way we meet an assortment of mysterious characters who all seem to be psychic and just "know" things about Jonathan: A dying woman, an old man, a wheelchair-bound bike store owner, and a young orphan boy who spouts advice beyond his years. While some of the wisdom put forth seems almost too coincidental and inexplicable at times, there is enough heart here to forgive the literary shortcuts.

I would give away the ending if I explained what happened at the end of his journey, but sufficed to say this is a book primarily about forgiveness and love. As such, it is a welcome addition to the self-help pantheon, especially with The Secret and its external focus dominating the discourse for too long. It's refreshing to get back to some basics, really.

Along those lines, what is truly nice about this book is that it avoids the new age blame game. It thankfully does not get into pat answers such as "you created this car accident and killed your daughter by attracting the accident with your thoughts." I felt that the book treated the subject of intense grief in a fairly sensitive way, despite the shallow characterizations that inevitably occur in books that serve as parables.

You won't necessarily come away from this book with a big "aha" but you may find yourself relating to the problems the main characters go through. It is a sweet tale in many respects, though simply told.

The end of the book offers a study guide and a collection of quotes from self-help gurus who have also contributed to the documentary version of the book. The quotes aren't bad, but considering the book actually has a bit of an anti-materialistic message to it, the goal-setting nature of some of the quotes doesn't really fit the content of the book. This is only a slight disconnect, however, and not a dealbreaker by any stretch of the imagination. It just shifts the tone in a way I felt didn't quite add to the book.

While I don't think The Compass is destined to become a classic, it, this is a decent book to help you if you want to find some meaning in a tragedy in your life. It doesn't go too deep, so don't expect a mind-blowing experience, but with the simple format and ease of reading, it can provide some comfort in an afternoon or two.