Veronika Decides To Die: A Novel of Redemption [Paperback]

The intended message is inspiring and beautiful .. one must discover the true value of life, the richness with with it can be lived, the meaning of living it. We should not be apathetic and resigned to the dull norms, instead we should savor every mad moment, every whim, every impulse we feel...so long as we do not cause destruction to those around us....sing in the rain, climb a mountain, paint, dance, laugh with the joy of life and living, unleash the individual within you and cry, scream, go out and follow your dream. It is an inspiring approach to our existence and the book answers to a modern-day malaise inflicting thousands of people world wide: boredom/apathy/depression. All of us meet face-to-face with sadness and emptiness at some point in our lives, and at such times we should take heed of some of Coelho's inspiring words in the novel: "the 2 hardest tests on the spiritual road are the patience to wait for the right moment, and the courage not to be dissapointed with what you encounter along the way" ..... there's another assertion by Veronika that I enjoyed reading: "to smell the earth is to feel alive" and "the meaninglessness of life was no one's fault but mine". A beautiful message, much needed in this age of prozac and therapy...

HOWEVER, I am a very objective and critical reader, and my interest in the book's main idea does not change what I've always believed to be true about Paulo Coelho: he IS an overrated writer and a bit of a pseudo-philosopher as well....yes, he is interesting, but if you read his works, for example "Veronika", you realise that the entire book revolves around one very elementary idea that he fluffs up with pretty parables and cute little symbols and metaphors JUST to give the illusion of profundity....and while he's at it, he makes it a point to mention his own admission to a mental hospital in order to appeal to the reader's sympathy and to re-confirm that he writes what he writes out of personal experience and depth of feeling.... it is so obviously fake....unfortunately, though, this is what sells his books: he appeals to an exoteric, moderately intelligent audience whilst allowing them to believe that they have just read a work of great depth and perception ... and many also think that his "simple" vocabulary is a sign of his unpretentious, down-to-earth persona ....I think its just a sign of bad writing.

Yes, the book's message is great, yes, life should be lived happily and yes, one should sit back and assess the meaning of their existence and what they can do with their lives, but for god's sake if you're looking for depth, go out and read Hesse, Roth, Dostoevsky......ignore the Coelho fad and start giving credit where real credit is due! And in case you're still wondering, the 4 stars are for the IDEA/PLOT and not for the WRITING/DEPTH.

But understanding Mr. Coelho requires understanding the rest of the story.

There is a simple beauty to Mr. Coelho's style, in evidence as he describes Veronika's ascent from the depths of her private purgatory to her return to her place among the living. This evolution in Veronika is the crux of the book and it illustrates Mr. Coelho's strengths and weaknesses as a storyteller: his ideas are fresh and original and his sense of plot of solid. But his techniques as a writer, his dialogues, his pacing, are weak.

To be sure, Mr. Coelho's ideas are the cornerstones of his legion fan base. The ideas are not only visible in this book when it comes to Veronika's rebirth but also in interesting but minor parts of the story. One of my favorites was when Mari -- an antagonist to Veronika, a lawyer, and a fellow patient at the Villete hospital where most of the story takes place -- muses about how she would defend Adam in the eyes of God for the role he played in the Fall of Man. I also enjoyed the metaphor from Zedka -- another patient -- about the king and queen who rules a kingdom of mad people and how they reacted.

But I quarrel with Mr. Coelho's development of characters, and especially with his choice of dialogue. Veronika, notwithstanding her epic journey from being suicidal to becoming essentially optimistic, can seem almost two-dimensional in the sense that she seems to evolve on her own, like a self-contained universe. And events are too pat: witness Eduard, who may have been pretending to be a schizophrenic waiting for the off chance that someone like Veronika would come along.

The dialogue is similarly contrived. Open the book to any page and read out loud what is between quotation marks and it will probably seem artificial. People do not talk that way -- especially when they are talking to themselves, which is often the case here. I also wonder why Mr. Coelho chose to put certain dialogue -- things like "yes, I will" or "sometimes I do," which would normally be added to the narration in the form of paraphrase -- in quotations when they add almost nothing to the characters' development.

I have friends who are big fans of Mr. Coelho's work and they tell me that these unconventional characteristics add to the other-worldliness of the author's stories. I can see how that might work, but I cannot help but feel that they simply make the story less effective, that they dull the edge of what could be sharply original and important story rather than one that is merely good.

Despite that, I will say that if you are reading these reviews because you are undecided about whether or not to read Mr. Coelho's books, I would encourage you to do so and to start with Veronika Decides to Die. In spite of its imperfections, it is a quick and enjoyable read and probably the best point of entry to the collection of work from a writer who has enjoyed phenomenal success worldwide. As I have stated, I do not believe this is a book without flaw, but I cannot be so critical as to say the story is also without value. Read it, and decide for yourself how far the scale tips one way or the other.