Veronika, a 24-year-old in Ljubljana, takes an overdose of pills because her life seems to lack purpose, though she has no obvious troubles. She survives and is admitted to Villete, a mental hospital, where the director tells her that the pills have caused irreversible heart damage and she will die in a few days. Facing death, she begins to feel alive: she plays piano, falls for another patient named Eduard, and sees the other inmates, some of them quite sane. Paulo Coelho wrote the novel as a reflection on how society defines normal behavior and on the courage to live as you choose.
The book is suited to readers who like short, philosophical novels with a spiritual flavor, and to anyone who has questioned conventional life. It reads fast and leaves you with a few ideas to talk over with someone else.
Inward-looking, contemplative and thought-provoking; an easy read.
Best for readers like The Mindful Reader. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 2000
- Publisher
- Pergaminho
- ISBN
- 9789727112944
- Language
- PT
