Sit with the Guru

A DARK MATTER by Peter Straub (2010 Doubleday / 397 pp. / hc)
During the 60s, a group of friends become devoted followers of a college-campus guru named Spencer Mallon. Lee Traux's boyfriend (also named Lee) refuses to get involved. One night in 1966, Mallon brings the group to a meadow to perform an unusual occultic/enlightenment ritual that ends up severely changing the lives of everyone involved.
Modern day: Lee Harwell's a semi-famous author, attempting to understand what happened to his...