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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5/5
my favorite Coelho thus far, it sweeps you away right from the beginning and explores so much
my favorite Coelho thus far, it sweeps you away right from the beginning and explores so much
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
veronika decides to die to escape the mundanity of her life. she isn’t depressed, or vengeful, or even insane. she is simply attempting to fast track what she believes will be a cyclical life of ennui, towards the one inevitable fate that awaits us all: death. despite her failed attempt, her heart is said to be irreversibly damaged. death is definitively days away, but even that prognosis will not suffice.
she wants to die, but on her own terms.
inspired by paulo coelho’s own life, seen in brief self inserts in which he briefly relays his experience of being institutionalised three time, we follow veronika on a fresh path as she becomes acquainted with her fellow patients. if you’re looking for a plot heavy novel with twists and turns, this might not be it. with her days said to literally be numbered, the characters are the life sustaining breath that keeps us tethered to veronika’s story and her growth appears exponential in wake of the little time she has left.
although it isn’t very plot heavy, it is interesting to see the different perspectives of certain characters, their treatment and the biases and connotations of mental health simply reduced in coelho’s style. the depictions are not necessarily world-bending, but rather a reminder of the views and philosophies that culminate into the pretence that is society. the goals, expectations and desires we squash for the sake of “normalcy”. and the sanctity and tranquility that can be found in detaching from social norms with others who all want the same thing. an escape. from mental illness, from responsibility, and even from life itself. which begs the big question: “what does it mean to be crazy?” when we’re all a little bit mad?
veronika decides to die can simply be described in the words of a random tweet i came across two months ago: “the arc of my 20s is discovering that heartbreak, sadness, and suffering are not that bad. the real enemy is ennui. i’m not afraid of bad local optima, i’m afraid of flat energy landscapes.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicide, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book has been sitting on my shelf for a while before I finally delved into it. A person has to be in the right mood to read about a morbid topic. So, why did Veronica want to kill herself when she had everything she ever wanted? After her attempted suicide, she is taken to a hospital where the reader learns more about Veronica and several other patients. An interesting discussion about reality takes place between the doctor and Veronica. What is reality?
While I did not like the main characters in this story, I still felt that the concepts discussed are compelling and worth some thought. The character of Veronika is shallow and wholly unlikeable but the doctor trying to cure her insanity is another story. The idea bears contemplation that one could potentially cure someone that wants to commit suicide by making them value life, albeit through devious means. And then the chain reaction that occurs within the hospital with other patients could also possibly work assuming that the patients are mostly there because they don't want to return to the harsh reality that non-hospital living affords the rest of society. I liked this book but I didn't like it at the same time, if that makes any sense. I noticed that there are many mixed reviews of this tome and so I think I came down somewhere in the middle. I don't believe that I would recommend this story to anyone at the library, but there is some food for thought here if you are a brave reader.
There were aspects to this book that made me feel heard and seen but the trouble with a book that attempts to describe the miracle and gift and meaning of life is that it’s not going to resonate with everyone. With me it didn’t resonate. I don’t think that life is about doing these Hollywood things like drinking wine and being loud and discourteous to others or even about falling “in love”. I don’t know what life is about but I think it’s something much subtler. This hyper “passionate” view of life annoys me. But it seems to be Paulo Coelho’s philosophy of life (to live it up and follow your dreams and all that popular stuff but he really means it). To me life is more like Japanese Zen Buddhism, life is the ordinary appreciated.
But for the parts that I felt heard, I would give this book 5 stars. I’m subtracting 1 star to save that type of rating for my favorite books ever which this book fell just short of.
But for the parts that I felt heard, I would give this book 5 stars. I’m subtracting 1 star to save that type of rating for my favorite books ever which this book fell just short of.