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Book Three
SOUL
A Small Book of Returning — when the titles fall away, someone remains.
Parent, professional, provider, believer. Strip the names away and someone is still there. Through seven slow chapters — the hidden room, the names we wear, the child beneath the floorboards, the grieving field — SOUL is a book about coming back to that someone. It closes with reflection questions and a one-year listening practice.
Soul is the beloved life beneath the life I perform.
Who am I without my roles?
It is one of the most common questions people carry quietly — after the job ends, the children leave, the marriage changes, or the title that organised a whole identity disappears. Underneath the roles there is a person with longings, fears and curiosities who has usually been waiting a long time to be acknowledged.
This book is written for readers who have done everything right and still feel unknown to themselves: the strong one holding it all together, the believer who cannot admit his questions, the doubter who still, quietly, longs for God.
Can you burn out while everything looks fine?
Yes — and that is the version most people miss.
It doesn't always look like collapse. Sometimes it looks like competence. Like success. Like being admired and being useful and being available to everyone except yourself. It can look like doing everything right while something holy in you quietly stops singing.
If you recognise yourself there, it may be worth talking to someone you trust — a friend, a counsellor, your doctor. A book is a companion, not a substitute for care.
Why I wrote it
Why are we here? We are here to come back — to the beloved life beneath the life we perform. This is not a book from an expert to a student. It is closer to one tired person lighting a small fire for another and saying: maybe we can sit here a while. Maybe we can tell the truth.
The one-year listening practice
The book closes with reflection questions, a gentle index of its recurring images, and a year-long listening practice — one small invitation a month, for readers who would rather live a book slowly than finish it quickly.
| Title | SOUL |
|---|---|
| Subtitle | A Small Book of Returning |
| Author | Dean Cothill |
| Publisher | Urban Publishing |
| Format | Paperback, 148 × 210 mm (A5) |
| Extent | 168 pages |
| ISBN | 978-1-83489-079-1 |
| Published | September 2026 |
| Category | Christian Living, Spirituality, Personal Growth |
The other books: Poems & Prayers · Between Arrivals and Departures · The Five Questions — or start with the question that fits where you are.
Questions readers ask
Who am I without my job or my roles?
That question is the whole subject of SOUL. Underneath the titles there is a person with values, fears, longings and curiosities who does not disappear when a role ends — usually they have simply been waiting a long time to be noticed.
Can you burn out while everything still looks fine?
Yes, and that is the version most people miss. It does not always look like collapse. Sometimes it looks like competence, success, being useful and admired — while something in you quietly stops singing. If that describes you, it is worth talking to someone you trust.
What does SOUL mean by returning?
Coming back to the beloved life beneath the life you perform. The book moves through seven slow chapters — the hidden room, the names we wear, the child beneath the floorboards, the grieving field, wisdom, the wild listening, and a year beneath the moon.
What is the one-year listening practice?
A gentle monthly practice at the end of the book, for readers who would rather live a book slowly than finish it quickly. It sits alongside reflection questions and an index of the book's recurring images.
Is SOUL a book to read quickly?
No. It is meant to be read slowly, the way you would walk down to the sea — a few pages at a time, with room to stop.
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