Paulo Coelho

For the more serious reader, “Veronika Decides to Die” by Paulo Coelho is a must read. It was my first Coelho book, and he made my “must read more” list.

In the story, Veronika makes a decision to kill herself, but fails. She wakes up in a mental hospital where she decides she wants to live, but is told she has done irreparable harm to her body and will die within a week. This gives Veronika the absolute freedom to experience all the things she has denied herself in the past. But is she really dying? And how does she really feel about life?

I found so much valuable subtext in this book. I may have to read it a second time to go over my thoughts!