Veronika Decides to Die: A Novel of Redemption (P.S.)
by Paulo Coelho
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Book Summary Information
Author: Paulo CoelhoEdition: Paperback
Published: 2006-06-01
ISBN: 0061124265
Number of pages: 240
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Book Reviews of Veronika Decides to Die: A Novel of Redemption (P.S.)
Book Review: Decide to read this.
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the first novel I decided to read by Paulo Coelho. Yes, the title is very blunt, quite literal, and perhaps a bit pretentious to a jaded generation who consider such things as "cool". However, the text itself is turely far from pretension. Infact, it's quite modest and dealing with such a subject as suicide and mental institutions, the story becomes simple,honest, and life affirming.
In the first page of Coelho's novel, Veronika decides to die (no pun intended). Her attempt, though, fails, and she awakes in a mental institution where she is told by the head doctor, Dr. Igor, that in her attempted suicide, she had in fact had done serious damage to her body, her heart to be exact, succumbing her to eventual death. So it seems she did succeed. The remainder of the novel is Veronika accepting her fate and allowing herself to become free(for a lack of a better word)or liberated, uninhibited of all the things in life (including herself)that seem to follow routine. Along her "journey" of self-discovery she meets a few people in the institution that more or less guide her in her path (some more inadvertently than others). The outcome is ultimately satisfying though there is a twist that's quite predictable but that's really not the focus of the story's intention. So therefore, it holds little regard.
"Veronika Decides to Die" is genuinely a beautiful story: well written, good, reliable characters, simple but effective message. One doesn't have to be a female to enjoy the story because in the end it's fully universal to everyone including those who've never had the though of suicide in their minds. It's a quick read with much to admire.
Summary of Veronika Decides to Die: A Novel of Redemption (P.S.)
When Paulo Coelho (The Alchemist) was a young man, his parents had him committed to mental hospitals three times because he wanted to be an artist--an unacceptable profession in Brazil at the time. During his numerous forced incarcerations he vowed to write some day about his experiences and the injustices of involuntary commitment. In this fable-like novel, Coelho makes good on his promise, with the creation of a fictional character named Veronika who decides to kill herself when faced with all that is wrong with the world and how powerless she feels to change anything. Although she survives her initial suicide attempt, she is committed to a mental hospital where she begins to wrestle with the meaning of mental illness and whether forced drugging should be inflicted on patients who don't fit into the narrow definition of "normal." The strength and tragedy of Veronika's fictional story was instrumental in passing new government regulations in Brazil that have made it more difficult to have a person involuntarily committed. Like any great storyteller, Coelho has used the realm of fiction to magically infiltrate and alter the realm of reality. --Gail HudsonTwenty-four-year-old Veronika seems to have everything -- youth and beauty, boyfriends and a loving family, a fulfilling job. But something is missing in her life. So, one cold November morning, she takes a handful of sleeping pills expecting never to wake up. But she does -- at a mental hospital where she is told that she has only days to live.
Inspired by events in Coelho's own life, Veronika Decides to Die questions the meaning of madness and celebrates individuals who do not fit into patterns society considers to be normal. Bold and illuminating, it is a dazzling portrait of a young woman at the crossroads of despair and liberation, and a poetic, exuberant appreciation of each day as a renewed opportunity.
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