Review: Veronika Decides to Die

Veronika Decides to Die marks the third of Paulo Coelho's books that I have read in the last year and a half. It all began when I spotted the "gift" edition of The Alchemist while I was at a Barnes and Noble browsing. Being incapable of passing up such a beautiful book, I bought it. I was impressed with the simplicity of the story and language - it's not a tense or difficult read, but it's intriguing and inspirational without being preachy or obnoxious. I enjoyed it enough to snap up The Witch of Portobello on my way down to San Diego in July, and I found that to be a better book by far - well written, cleverly structured, and full of fascinating contradictions (plus, I'm an absolute sucker for stories told by unreliable narrators). So naturally, I tend to stalk the C section at Half Price books, and I picked up this volume around Christmastime this year.

Focusing on the nature of mental illness and its ties to social constructions of "normalcy", and written with considerable personal experience, Veronika is an interesting perspective on individuality and mental health. The novel frequently remined me of his more recent work, The Witch of Portobello. Both books tell the story of a young woman discovering her identity and eventually chosing to live outside of social norms, chosing to be what she wants to be rather than what society asks her to be. Both women toss aside convention and embrace the chaos of freedom, and this choice is not without consequences. Finally, both stories focus heavily on each young woman's impact on the people she meets, allowing them each to narrate in turn.

Like all of Coelho's works that I have read thus far, both books expertly balance faith and fear, idealism and its practical applications. There is despair, emptiness, and embrace of existential values. But like me, Coelho seems to find teriffic meaning in these voids. After all, as my daily Nietzsche quote is currently reminding me, "if you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you." Coelho's journeys of self discovery feel genuine to me, and reinvigorate my own precisely because his characters are not afraid to stare down the abyss and find what they will within themselves.

Though I preferred The Witch as a novel, I enjoyed this one as well. It was peppered with some excellent observations about the nature of being normal, the stigma of being labled "insane" and how fine the line between those two states really is. Like Coelho's other works it wasn't suspensful - the story itself was predictable and proceded as expected from the earliest pages. However, it's not suspense that makes Coelho's novels a pleasure to read - for me it's the gentle, accesible style and raw portrayal of people as individuals. In this particular case, it's watching people rekindle their desire to live, serving as an excellent reminder to the reader to do the same. Knowing where the story is going doesn't matter when it's literally the journey for each character (and yourself) that matters. The gentle reminder in Veronika is to live life without restraint or regret. To embrace change and motion, to not stagnate or fear chaos, and not to bind yourself by the expectations of others.

There are still many more of Coelho's books to read, but after Witch, Veronika, and The Alchemist, I am left with this simple message: with personal bravery comes the chance for redemption. Live and love without fear, and appreciate each moment. Truth to oneself is the ultimate expression of God.